Human Nature
by Goddess Moon
Summary: Duo in a skirt?! Trowa in hysterical laughter?! Relena with a gun?! Expect the unexpected!!! No, this is really a fanfic with a more serious note. Hints of bio weapons, genetic altering, space battles, and action, action, action!!!
1. Human Nature: Prologue - Chapter 4

Hello. This is my first GW fic, so please be kind. I realize that this majorly conflicts with Endless Waltz in some spots, but it agrees with it in others...so just uh...bear with me, ok? This story line is already way too complicated for me to explain everything! 

I realize that the prologue is a bit mushy and for Releena haters this will be torture. But the story does get better and I'm trying to focus on all the characters. So please, keep reading. It gets better. (I think) Hope you like it. 

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing belongs to the Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and Fuji TV. I claim no rights upon the characters or the original story line. 

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Human Nature - A Gundam Wing Fanfic by Goddess Moon   
(JMcChick@hotmail.com) 

Prologue - Reluctant Good-Bye's 

Year: After Colony 197 

Releena opened the double-sided windows, and leaned against the frame, her shoulder-length hair whipping around her back. She watched the cars and the people walking on the busy streets. Her sky-blue eyes threatened to shed tears, but she quickly shut them. Fighting to keep her voice steady, she asked the question she'd been putting off since that morning. "You're leaving, aren't you?" 

A young man with unruly dark brown hair reluctantly looked up from his compact computer. An instant scowl crossed his features and he clenched his fists. He answer was cold and calculating. "I told you I could only stay a few days." 

She sighed and glanced back. He had already returned to typing away furiously. What should she have expected, after all? It had been over a year since she had last seen him. He disappeared to God only knows where, not even communicating with any of the other former Gundam pilots. A few days ago he had mysteriously shown up at the consulate on L2 with her brother. Heero accompanied her to Brussels, giving no explanation of his former whereabouts or the reason for his sudden reappearance. It was all a tremendous surprise. She'd almost given up hope of ever seeing him again. "I know. But I thought that, maybe, just for another day or two, you..." 

He closed his eyes and shook his head, releasing a tired sigh. "It's too dangerous." 'You are too dangerous,' He thought. The fact that he'd let himself get this close again was strange and unusual. Sidetracked. That's it - she was a constant distraction - the only distraction he'd ever allowed for more than a fleeting moment. The wars had ended - for now. But he learned enough in the past year to know that peace would not, could not last indefinitely without certain factors keeping it. One of them was standing right in-front of him. 

Her shoulders sunk slightly. Releena knew he would never change his mind no matter how much she thought she could handle the situation at the moment. She understood his thinking far too much to be angry. 

Of course it was dangerous. Peace reigned for the time being, but tensions were still high. It had only been two years and the many wars and battles involving Oz, the Alliance, the White Fang, and the Barton Foundation still strung a cord with small groups on both the colonies, and the Earth. 'They have only to find an excuse, and the wars will start all over again.' She thought to herself. 

She jumped at her sudden bitterness. Never had she lost her faith in people to overcome their obstacles rationally and peacefully. Releena sighed. 'It isn't that people don't want peace, it's just that their pain and anger blind them to the real solution,' She reminded herself. 'In order for people to get along, they have to understand one another and be united in a single cause.' Therefore, keeping communications open between Earth and the colonies was vital. As Vice Foreign Minister, she had to ensure that would happen no matter what the cost. 'No matter what the cost.' She clenched her fists, almost drawing blood. She knew all too well her price for peace. Yet just as a soldier, she would pay the cost wholeheartedly, doing her duty faithfully and loyally without complaint. It was her gift to future generations. 

But regret was a whole other matter. Unlike the man before her, she couldn't disconnect her feelings. They were first and foremost, fueling and feeding her convictions. Only this time, one of the two things her heart wanted most, it couldn't have. She wanted peace and his love - and wanted them both to last forever. He was strong, never letting any obstacles interfere with his missions. If she was to give herself fully to promoting and keeping peace, she could have no distractions. Already her resolve was deteriorating. 

A strong hand carefully took hers. Releena slowly turned with tear-filled eyes to face cerulean blue. His face was as smooth and expressionless as ever, but his eyes refused to hide the truth. It seemed that neither would ever know true peace of heart. She knew he cared for her - at least somewhat. But he always held back. 'Why?' She demanded with her eyes. 'Why can't you give me your heart just this once? Quit trying to stop yourself from feeling, from caring, from loving. Please, God,' She prayed. 'I'll never ask another favor again. Just this once...' 

Heero dared to touch her cheek gently. Why on Earth did she care for him so much? She gave her heart so freely to everyone. She strove for peace because of her love for everyone and everything. She had the strongest heart and firmest determination. But why focus on him? He never asked for her affection, and resented her for a long time in bestowing it. But it had changed him nonetheless - the past year was proof enough of that. He was almost afraid that she would destroy the walls around his heart completely if he stayed. That couldn't happen - not yet, maybe not ever - not while there was still a threat to peace. His mind came up with an endless list of reasons to walk away immediately, but found himself unable to look away from her pleading eyes. Perhaps just this once, he could give her what her eyes so earnestly begged of him. Leaning down, he ever so gently touched her lips with his own. 

______________________________________________________________ 

It was still dark as Heero made his way across the room. He quietly gathered his things. After checking the computer one last time for any updates, he closed the top and stowed it away in a small black bag. Heero surveyed the room, making sure that when dawn ascended, there would be no evidence that he was ever here. His gaze froze, as he stared at the figure still deep asleep on the bed. He reached down into the bag and pulled out a small trinket. 

He silently approached her and gently brushed away a few stray locks of hair away from her face. A frown crossed his hard-set features and he shook his head. 'I'm regretting this already. Damn it, Releena. How do you do it? You're determined to change me along with the world.' He thought to himself. 'But I can't let you do that just yet. I believe in your peace, Releena. I'll do whatever I can to help you.' He said silently to himself, before carefully opening her curled fingers away from her palm. He placed a gold, oval shaped object in her palm, and closed her fingers around it. "Good bye, Releena." He whispered. 

______________________________________________________________ 

Her eyes popped open the moment she heard the door to her room close, but she didn't move. She heard him. 'Good bye, Releena.' He was not coming back and that was it. End of discussion. Her mind tried to console her, saying that it was the right decision. Still, why did it have to hurt so much? It was a mistake. She should have known that one night would never be enough. She was a fool to ever think so. Releena brought her hand to her face to wipe away the tears when she noticed the object in her hand. Carefully, she opened the clasp and the oval opened. Inside, was a picture of a woman with familiar cerulean eyes. "Heero..." 

______________________________________________________________ 

> **End Prologue**

> Human Nature - A Gundam Wing Fanfic by Goddess Moon   
(JMcChick@hotmail.com) 

Chapter 1 - The Package 

Year: After Colony 198 

Day 1 

The large metal door slid open and Lucretcia Noin cautiously stepped in. The center of the large room was lit only with a single table lamp. The rest was cast either in shadows or complete darkness. 'This doesn't feel right.' She thought. Ever since she arrived at the Highland SpacePort she could feel the tension in the air. Security was unusually high, that much was obvious. A voice broke through her thoughts and she whipped to the right. "Lady Une!" 

"Miss Noin. Please forgive me, but the fact that you are here has already drawn more attention than I would have liked. Come in." Lady Une gestured gracefully toward one of the seats around a comfortable, round table. "Please have a seat and join me in some tea." 

Lucretcia hesitantly complied, a sense of uneasiness still with her. "Don't think me rude, but I wasn't expecting..." 

"That's fine." She replied curtly as she punched a sequenced code into a terminal next to the door. It promptly slid closed and locked. Lady Une looked up and smiled. "I'm not the one who wanted to see you." 

"Hello Noin." 

Lucretcia jumped up from her seat. "Releena!" She immediately ran to the blonde woman as she emerged from the shadows and encased her in a hug. "We were so worried. Are you alright?" 

Noin was startled when Releena abruptly drew back. There was something very different about her. Her eyes were dull - almost cold. She took a seat and gestured for Noin to do the same. 

"Thank you for coming, Miss Noin. I need your help." Releena's voice was calm, but there was a certain tense edge to it. 

Lucretcia narrowed here eyes. Just what was going on here? "Wait just a minute!" She challenged, taking her seat across from her. "You haven't answered my question. When you contacted me, you looked so pale, almost sick." 

"I'll be fine." 

Noin wasn't convinced. This time, she tried a softer approach. "Please Releena. Zechs asked me a long time ago to look after you and I'm not about to let him down now. It took all the strength I had to convince him to stay behind." 

"Yes, well, you know my brother's always been a little overprotective." 

"I don't think so. Not this time. You can fool the world, Releena, but you can fool your friends, least of all me. You haven't been seen in public for months, only communicating though Lady Une, and that just isn't like you. I know how much attaining true peace both in space and on earth means to you. Please tell me what's wrong." 

The young woman opened her mouth to speak, but abruptly shut it, a pained look crossing her features. "I'm sorry. But right now, I can't do that." 

Lucretcia was about to argue, but Lady Une began. "Miss Noin, I know that what Releena is about to say is going to sound a little strange, but right now you must trust us. We can't tell you everything just yet. It's too dangerous. In fact, you're going to have to be very careful when you leave here." 

"Why? What's..." 

"Because I have something to give you." Releena stood and walked to an unlit corner of the room and dragged a rather large bag into the light. It looked as though an oblong rectangular object was placed within. "Inside this package is something very important. You must deliver it to the Gundam pilots immediately." 

For a moment she was silent. "Releena, you know I'd do anything to help you, but I need to know what this is all about. Unusually high security, secret packages, tension you could cut with a knife... What is going on?" 

Lady Une answered in a high strung emotional voice. "The information contained within this package could start another war." 

"I've tried to keep it a secret for as long as I could." Releena followed. "But Sydney Bartkusonete, the leader of Arms Against the Federation finally found out just what it is that I've been hiding. His group of militant reformists is on the brink of starting another war. They've formed an alliance with several small groups from the Northern Nations and a few of the outer rim satellite stations, refusing to disband and destroy their weapons." 

Lady Une walked up behind Releena. "I've met with the General on several occasions. It seems that the only thing holding them back is their fear of retribution from the Gundam pilots. He's a clever man. Even though the Gundams themselves have been destroyed, he's well aware that the skills of their pilots far outweigh anyone else on earth or in space." 

Noin nodded. "Of course. They lack both the skills and the technology. One battle would decide it all." 

"Not necessarily. One thing we do know is that they have somehow broke into the Federations faults and implemented the Zero System." 

Lucretcia shook her head. "The Zero System is flawed. The final battle proved that. It can be conquered and outdone. For them to have any chance at all in succeeding, they would need superior pilots - ones who could match the strength of the Gundam pilots. As you said, no such pilots exist." 

"They will if they have their way." Lady Une pointed to the large black bag. "This package holds the key." 

"It makes no sense. The ability to fight that well either comes from natural talent or years of training. And even still...to be able to defeat the Gundam pilots, especially He..." 

Lady Une was quick to interrupt, glancing worriedly at Releena. "Everything will make sense once you know what's inside. But you must not open the package under any circumstances until you've found those pilots. However, it's very important that you do so within the next 72 hours. After that, the contents of the package will automatically open and be revealed. 

"Three days?! I only have three days to find them! They could be anywhere!" 

"I'm sorry to involve you in this, Noin." Releena whispered, her eyes never straying from the black bag in front of her. "But...there are so few people I can trust with..." Her voice dropped off and she clenched her fists. A mask of calm washed over her face and she stood. 

Lucretcia stood with her and took her hand in her own. "Releena, you are a sister to me. I trust you. And I'm glad you have the confidence in me to deliver this." 

Releena nodded and abruptly turned to Lady Une. "Please see that she reaches the spaceport safely. And give her the codes to my personal database. I've been tracking the Gundam pilots for quite sometime. Finding a general location shouldn't be that difficult." Looking back at Noin,she continued, "After that, it's up to you. Be careful." She walked towards the door. 

"Miss Releena, where are you going?" 

She refused to look back. "Bartkusonete must be stopped. I'm going to do everything I possibly can to keep them busy until you've completed your mission. Lady Une, you must visit each of the colonies and inform them of Arms Against the Federation's threat. We have to make sure that fear and panic stays buried in the back of everyone's heads." Releena hit the release button to unlock the door. 

Noin was about to call her again, when she suddenly answered the question that was on the tip of her tongue. "Don't worry, Noin. I can take care of myself." She slipped through the door and it slid shut behind her. 

______________________________________________________________ 

Releena took a deep breath and leaned back against the door, closing her eyes. "It's done." She whispered. A few tears threatened to fall, but she angrily swept them away with the back of her hand. "No. I won't cry. I have a mission of my own to complete." She stood up straight and began to walk down the hall. 

Just as she was passing through a corridor, the lights suddenly flickered and the hallway went pitch black. Hel...umph" " A strong hand quickly silenced her scream. "Let's just keep this to ourselves for now, Vice Foreign Minister." A muffled voice croaked. She struggled in vain - her captor was far stronger. Finally her body gave in as a funny smelling cloth was placed over her mouth. 

______________________________________________________________ 

Lady Une smiled wanly at Lucretcia. "Please come with me. We need to get you the proper clothes and then send you on your way. I must leave this facility in a separate vehicle, but my guards will escort you back to the spaceport and see you safely onto the shuttle. Remember - if you need to make any communications, wait until you've left Earth's atmosphere and be sure to use a secure channel." She gently touched her arm. "Don't worry, Miss Noin. Releena conquers the world with her conviction just as Zechs won the hearts of soldiers with his courage." 

"Thank you. And please, call me Lucretcia." 

"I would be honored." 

______________________________________________________________ 

Noin peered out the small shuttle window as the atmosphere changed from a majestic blue haze into dark black with small specks of white stars peeking through. She sighed and released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. 

Peering at the package situated next to her, she quickly reached for the zipper. Lucretcia slowly peeled back the nylon fabric to reveal an odd shaped canister of sorts. On it were switches, gages, and temperature and pressure regulators along with other foreign looking wires and objects. She was no scientist and couldn't begin to guess what was inside. "It must be some sort of weapon." A chill ran up her spine. The only sort of weapon that would need perfectly stable conditions was biological. "But if it's a biological weapon, why would I be sending this to those boys? It just doesn't make sense." She mused. 

Lady Une's words rung in her head. 'However, it's very important that you do so within the next 72 hours. After that, the contents of the package will automatically open and be revealed.' 

"My God! It must be on a time-set mechanism." She realized, her voice wearing thin, though just a whisper. "Is Releena out of her mind having such a dangerous object in her possession?" She asked herself. "I've got to get this to those pilots as soon as I can. If biological weapons were re- introduced, especially now, no one would survive." 

She thought first of Quatre. Surely he would be the easiest to find. After all, hadn't he taken over his father's mining operations on one of the remaining family owned satellites? Lucretcia pulled out a small hand-held computer and began searching through several database files. "Missing? For over a year?!" No information could be found about any of the pilot's whereabouts. "Perhaps they don't want to be found." Her mind answered. She would readily agree to that statement concerning Wufei Chang, Duo Maxwell, and Trowa Barton, but certainly not with Quatre. Something definitely did not add up. 

"Dead End. How am I ever gonna find these pilots?" 

______________________________________________________________ 

Once at the top of the staircase, she immediately spotted him. Lucretcia took a deep breath and groaned. Adjusting the wide brimmed hat, she glanced down at her white dress, covered with gaudy red and pink flowers. "Well, here goes. I wonder what he'll think." She almost laughed, curving it into a wide, bright smile, and ran full force down the stairs and into the arms of Zechs Marquise. 

To say he was stunned beyond belief was quite an understatement. But what happened next almost made him keel over. 

"Darling! I'm so glad to be home!" She hugged him fiercely and gave him a long, passionate kiss. Not that he minded, of course. 

Finally coming to his senses, Zechs cleared his throat and gazed at her sternly. "Noin! What..." 

"Shh..." She placed a finger over his mouth. "It's a surprise." She turned toward the porter who was lugging the large green bag, followed by a second man carrying some other bags. "Do see to the bags, Darling. I have something for you." 

After ordering the luggage to be brought to his vehicle, he quickly took Lucretcia by the hand and pulled her into a corner. "Alright, Noin. What's going on?" 

She looked around carefully, before answering. "I can't tell you now. But it's very important. I have something we must take to the Gundam pilots. First, we need to go someplace secure." 

"Right." 

She latched her arm through his and they began walking toward the sliding doors, when a large poster caught her eye. Splashed with colors of green, yellow, red, and blue was an add for the Venadette Circus. "The circus..." She thought. "Trowa Barton..." 

From a dark corner, a pair of dark eyes narrowed at the couple exiting the complex. A crooked smile crossed hard-set features and a gruff voice mumbled, "Well, then. To the circus we shall go." 

______________________________________________________________ 

Human Nature - A Gundam Wing Fanfic by Goddess Moon

(jmcchick@hotmail.com)

Chapter 2 - Revelations 

Year: After Colony 198 

Day 2

  


Releena slowly opened her eyes. It took her a few moments to focus on the white blur in front of her. "Dr. J.?" She asked, surprise evident in her groggy voice. "Where are we?" 

"In a holding cell - somewhere in Bartkusonete's underground bunker I think."

"Oh God, no!" She quickly jumped to her feet, pushing the aged man aside. On wobbly knees, she ran to the securely locked door and began pounding on it. "Let me out!" She 

screamed hysterically. "Please, you have to let me out!" She rammed her body into the door three times before sliding back to the floor, sobbing. 

A three pronged metal hand nudged her shoulder. "There, there now. We'll get out of here in plenty of time."

"I don't want your pity!" She cried. "I have to get out! I have to stop him! He'll find Noin and he'll take it and open it! I will not let that happen! I can't!" Releena screamed. 

Dr J. was silent for a few moments watching her cry with a stoic face. Finally he spoke, in a tired, old voice. "I'm afraid that years locked in a lab making weapons hasn't done much for me in the way of teaching compassion. But I offer my assistance as I have before."

His words were touching. They were simple, but enough. He cared - granted, in an awkward, twisted sort of way, but she needed something. Releena had never felt so cold or alone in her life. She leaned her head against his sagging shoulder and wept. 

Curling up the back of his spine, guilt slowly wrung its way around Dr. J's heart and squeezed with an agony he hadn't felt in over ten years.

_____________________________________________________________

Zechs Marquise, formerly known as the famous 'Lightning Count,' grimaced, as Noin led him toward the huge striped tent. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck. Zechs fought a losing battle with the flipped collar of his jacket. 

Noin smiled to herself. "Having a bit of trouble?"

"Not at all." He bit. "Let's just hurry up and get this over with. If your suspicions are correct, the sooner it's out of our hands the better. Besides, I want to pay my sister a visit and find out just where she got the idea that she could hide something like this."

"My thoughts exactly." Noin glanced warily at the bag Zechs carried. "I just hope he's here. Bringing this out into the open is dangerous."

______________________________________________________________

They took their seats just as the show began. Several acts began at once. A few clowns began their act - riding unicycles, juggling pins, walking on stilts, and throwing pies. Next came the trapeze act. A beautiful redhead wearing a pink body suit and a feather in her hair took to the air. As she landed, thunderous applause greeted her from the audience.

Noin shifted uneasily in her seat. She cast a glance at Zechs. For once, he actually seemed as agitated as she was, except he was looking intently at the opposite side of the stands, rather than the center ring. "What is it?" She whispered.

"I'm not sure. Just keep looking for him."

Finally the ringmaster stepped into the spotlight with his red jacket, white pants, and black riding boots. "Ladies and Gentlemen. The Venadette Circus proudly presents one of our most dangerous and death defying acts! Once again I introduce the lovely Catherine Bloom and meet her assistant - the fearless clown! 

"There!" Lucretcia pointed to the clown with the green shirt and white and blue, checked pants. "That's him."

Two workers strapped the clown firmly to the wheel and set it in motion. Catherine threw her knives, missing his body by only a few centimeters. At the conclusion of the act, applause greeted them once more and the two made their bows.

Noin sat frozen in shock as she watched Zechs suddenly jump up from his seat and run towards the center ring. For a split second she gazed up into the crowd and saw the yellow beam of a laser gun fired from somewhere in the far right section. 

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Zechs jumped in front of Trowa, pushing both him and Catherine to the ground. 

"No!" She cried as the beam hit Zechs directly in the back.

_____________________________________________________________

It had been many hours since she had stopped crying. Now she sat, lifelessly, with her head resting on her knees, staring as a drop of water fell from the ceiling and hit a small puddle on the floor. A thousand things spun through her mind. Her entire life seemed to pass before her eyes. She thought about her father and mother - how simple things used to be. What changed it? Was there an exact moment or time or…person? Yes. Oh yes. How could she even question it? The day Heero Yuy appeared in her life was a turning point. It wasn't soon after that she lost her father, became a princess of a kingdom forgotten only to lose it soon after - and there were so many more things. 

There were many losses to be sure, but she always clung to her faith and hope in mankind - that they really didn't want war and that someday in their hearts, they would find the answer and have true peace. The war did indeed come to an end, only now the world will tumble right back into one. 

But somehow, the weight of what was happening didn't seem to affect her. The ideals she held and pronounced to the world seemed so far away. She was simply unable to feel anything and the thought was frightening. She couldn't even take care of herself, let alone the ones she cared most for. Yet, she was not alone in her plight. "For when one loses their way, they lose their purpose and so lose their reason to live."

Madame Blanc's words rung so true now. But she never thought she'd apply them to herself. Suddenly it hit her. Was that how Heero felt? Was that why he was so eager to complete his mission? Fighting gave him a purpose. But…then, he lost it somehow. Why? Heero was such an enigma to her - he wasn't void of feelings or emotions, just extremely complex, yet dark… What made him that way? 

Her eyes settled on the old man, huddled in the corner. The shadows covered his face and he was completely still. "Dr J?" He voice was hoarse and her words barely above a whisper.

"What was that, my dear?" He suddenly asked.

Releena was silent for a few moments and then cocked her head. "Dr. J… Who is…what is…Heero?"

He regarded her silently. After a short time, he stood and made his way toward her, his knees creaking loudly, before planting himself about a meter away. "He is exactly what I told you he was. Heero is a kind-hearted young boy…well…young man now. Granted, there are a few things that make him different from you and I, but he's virtually the same as the rest of us."

Her voice was quiet but filled with a stinging accusation. "What did you do to him?" She noted that the same expressionless guise crossed his face as did Heero's, before his shoulders wilted and his lips curled into a wrinkled frown.

"I changed him." 

Releena lifted her head then and moved in closer. "Please. You wouldn't tell me before, but I must know. I have a right to know. You said once that I had the same look in my eyes as Heero did when you found him. Who is he?"

"Heero Yuy is Heero Yuy."

"What?" She asked, confused.

Dr. J. sighed and began again. "You know the story of the great leader of space, Heero Yuy. But very few know the history of his family - his wife and his son." 

"I didn't even know that he had…"

"Most people didn't. Noriko Yuy was frequently ill and was kept away from the crowds

and the public eye. It was very rare indeed for her to make a public appearance. She usually faded into the background wherever she went. Plus due to The Alliance and Oz, almost all traces of Heero Yuy were removed from official databases, records, and history books. They didn't want anyone to remember the truth about what happened."

"Oz wasn't content to just assassinate Yuy, they wanted him obliterated from the people's memory. And the best way to do that is to get rid of everyone associated with him. I believe the same thing happened to your family. Pacifistic ideas were in the way of political and economic dominance over the colonies."

At the time of the Peace Convention, I was working on L1 in a laboratory not too far from the convention center. I was to present some of my new innovations for trans-colonial communications to the delegates along with a few of my colleagues. Heero Yuy's ideas for maintaining good relations between all the colonies and Earth were brilliant. It was at the end of his speech, right there, in front of everyone, a sniper from one the balconies murdered him."

"Everything was in chaos. My colleagues and I made it safely into the hallway. We ran for our lives naturally. We decided to use the freight elevator and slip out in the least conspicuous way. Just before I reached the elevator, a woman covered in blood grabbed onto the lapels of my jacket. In her arms, she held an unconscious little boy. It took me a moment to recognize her face. She was none other than Noriko Yuy. She was hysterical and in tremendous pain. She thrust the boy into my arms, begging for me to take him. Once I did, she turned around and began to stagger away from us. I reached out to stop her. That's when the shooting began. I lost my outstretched arm and Noriko had been shot again. Needless to say, she was dead. We barely escaped with our lives."

Releena shook her pounding head. Too much had happened in the past few months. True she had wanted to know of Heero's past but this…this was an information overload. Of all the things she had expected to hear, this was definitely farthest from it. The blood was rushing in her ears and her head pounded fiercely. "Are you saying that Heero was that little boy…was his son?"

"That's right."

"But that was over twenty years ago. He's too young to be…"

Again, Dr. J. answered with a tired sigh and his spirit wilted even further. "Times were dangerous. There was panic and fear on the colony. The people were shocked and did not pay attention as The Alliance swiftly and stealthily took over. The other scientists and I realized what was happening, but it was too late to warn anyone and we didn't want to make ourselves too conspicuous. Oz was still looking for the boy."

"The little rascal was in a coma. Apparently he had suffered a massive blow to his head. And so we were faced with quite a dilemma. It was hard enough to smuggle one's self off the colonies, but with the boy it would have been impossible. My colleagues and I came up with a simple solution. We placed him in a suspended animation chamber - one that was small enough and inconspicuous enough to hide among our equipment. We were to leave the very next day." 

"But the alliance had other plans. The laboratory was raided that night and we along with our equipment were shipped to Earth - to the Lake Victoria Base. Septem had just given his first orders as captain. As the colonies were now the property of The Alliance, so were its citizens, and so were we. We were to begin construction on new weapons for the military. Once again, fearing for our lives, we began the prototype for all mobile suits - The Talgeese." 

He took a breath and continued. "We never trusted the alliance form the beginning and had vague suspicions that they were behind the massacre. It wasn't long after that we discovered just who was behind it all - OZ. We were angry, but still afraid. You have to remember - we stayed away form the public doing work on our research for a great portion of our lives. Dealing with the military was a totally new and frightening experience, not to mention that Septem's units were exceptionally trigger happy."

"Still, we wanted to do something. The Alliance and OZ would pay for what they had done somehow, but at the time, no one powerful enough could rise to that challenge. So, we took the initiative on ourselves. We slowed down the construction of the Talgeese and began secretly construction a new gundam - Wing Zero. It could obliterate a legion of the Talgeese models if necessary."

That's when a new figure entered our lives - Marquise Weridge. He was sent by the Romefeller Foundation to analyze our progress. He pronounced the Talgeese to be too cumbersome and gundanium alloy too expensive to import in mass quantities. Based on the prototype, his engineers came up with a new, smaller, and more lightweight mobile suit - the Leo's. Of course, they were far inferior to the Talgeese, but we weren't going to say anything."

Releena interrupted. "What about Wing Zero? No one ever knew of its existence. How did you keep it a secret for so long? And what about Heero?"

"Wing Zero was completed a month before weridge's scheduled arrival. We needed to get Wing Zero to a save place. It had to be offworld - somewhere that The Alliance wouldn't look for it. One of the guards who was in charge of us was a good young man and he agreed to help us. During a test run for the Talgeese, he secretly piloted Wing Zero to the Winner Mining Satellite and reported back that it was well hidden and all was well. Unfortunately, due to the effects of the Zero System, he went insane shortly after and we were left with a problem. We needed a superior pilot who could master and withstand the system. We were running out of time and there was no one we could trust."

"That was when I remembered the boy. The task was left to me and I began immediately before I could think twice.I eased the pressure on his brain and went to work. I altered his genetics, engineering his body to withstand super speeds, g-forces, and increased reaction times. But of course, more is needed to be a superior pilot. We needed someone who could outmaneuver and outsmart any pilot The Alliance would ever have. He was to begin training as soon as he awoke."

"But, it never happened. Weridge came early. We hid the boy as best we could, but as far as Marquise Weridge was concerned, we were dangerous and not to be trusted. He had his suspicions and when the reports came about an unidentified object blasted into space from the base, he pointed the finger at us. The Marquis ordered us to be separated and shipped to distant colonies, where we were to be kept in isolation working on new military technologies."

Of course, now that The Alliance was going to be using Leo Land units it seemed almost barbaric to unleash Wing Zero. Plus, now we might never be able to retrieve it. So, we came up with a new plan. Each one agreed to create separate, but equally powerful gundams to take revenge on OZ and destroy the Alliance. Their combined power could also destroy Zero if it fell into the wrong hands."

"First, I needed to get my pilot onto L1, before they shipped me out. The boy was bright and I hid him on a freight carrier bound for the spaceport. From there it would proceed to the colony. However, things didn't work out as planned and I was unable to retrieve him from L1's docks. The next time I saw him would be until 10 years later. By that time, I was highly connected with White Fang. They assisted in the construction of each of the gundams. They organized Operation Meteor. Heero showed up at the right place at the right time, and in 195, I sent him to Earth as a part of it. What happened to him in between that time I don't know."

Releena remained in a cold, silent, shock. What Dr. J did was so unbelievable, so inhumane. "You used him. You altered him to be a tool of revenge." The old man seemed to shrink back with each word she uttered. She felt sorry for him in a way. He had an awful lot to answer for. It was a shame that he realized it so late. She smiled wanely. "You failed, you know. There is no such thing as a perfect soldier." Releena stated in a distant voice. "The inner strength of the person determines the strength of the soldier. 

"I've wanted to know and understand Heero for so long now. I can't imagine going through or having been subject to even half of what he has. I could see vague traces of his true feelings through his eyes, but he never relented.He's kept it all so well hidden. And now that I finally do understand how he feels and why, I don't know how I can ever compare to his strength."

"You don't have to. As you said, there is no such thing as perfection. Releena, we all fall short in so many ways. It is impossible to undo the past."

"That lays such a heavy importance on the future. And right now, I can't think of anyone else. Another war is going to start and I almost don't care." She sobbed. " I've made such a mess of everything and I don't know what to do fix it or if I can."

"Don't blame yourself."

"But I do! I just wish I knew where he is now."

Dr. J. chuckled a bit. "Not far. Not far."

______________________________________________________________

The audience was in an uproar inside the circus tent. People were in an all out panic - screaming, pushing, and literally running each other over to get out of the exits. With 

strength she never knew she possessed, Lucretcia hoisted the bag onto her shoulder, gave a battle cry, and rammed through the wall of people around her. "Zechs!"

Finally making it to the center ring, she placed the bag on the floor and knelt next to his body. A pool of blood was spreading beneath him. "Oh God…"

"Miss Noin!" 

She looked up to see Trowa, his mask removed. "I have something for the Gundam pilots. It's urgent that we get all of you together."

Zechs gave a grunt and she rolled him over. "Are you alright?!"

"Don't worry about me. Just get that package out of here. Someone's on to us. Go!"

"But…"

Catherine interrupted immediately, calling to some stagehands. "Hurry! We have to get him out of here!" She winked at Noin. "I'll take care of him. For now, you two better go."

"Thanks, Cathy." Trowa gave her a quick hug and picked up the green nylon bag. "I take it this is it."

"Right. Let's move. We have to find the others quickly."

______________________________________________________________

Human Nature - A Gundam Wing Fanfic by Goddess Moon

(jmcchick@hotmail.com)

Chapter 3 - A Reunion

Year: After Colony 198

Day 3

A group of seven men sat leisurely in the small lounge, eating various items and talking of the latest news. Each wore gray pants, a white shirt, and a black vest and cap.

One man with a mop of sandy blonde curls voiced his opinion. "I tell you, Padua, I don't like it!"

"Who are we to question the general's actions?" Simone Padua retorted hotly, rising from his chair.

Slovinsky pounded a fist on the table. "I'm questioning his motives! Since when do we need to take prisoners?!"

"Calm down, the two of you." Sergeant Nemov interjected calmly. "We don't even know if the rumors are true."

"And how are we to know otherwise?!" Slovinsky demanded of his superior, daringly.

"What's going on in here?!" A commanding voice called, as a tall, well - built soldier in black emerged from the entryway.

"Nothing sir!" Slovinsky, Padua, Nemov, and the two other soldiers immediately rose, saluting the feared lieutenant.

Hard-set cerulean eyes glared at each of them. Before he could say another word a beautiful woman entered the room, wearing a white jacket and a long skirt. "Excuse me, Lieutenant. May I see you for a moment?"

The lieutenant glared at them before turning and walking out the door.

______________________________________________________________

Lucretcia quickly followed Trowa down a sinkhole and closed the lid behind her. Jumping from the ladder, she landed painlessly on the ground. Steel tunnels led in every direction, but only one was blocked off by a 4-rung laser security panel. Next to the opening was a retina-scan device as well as a palm-identifier.

He quickly stepped up to each device.

"Retina Scan Complete." A mechanized voice echoed through the passageway. "Waiting for hand-print identification."

Trowa placed his hand on the scanner. "Verification complete. Code Name: Trowa Barton. Enter." Oddly the laser beams didn't disappear.

Without warning, he turned to face her and she stepped back. Her eyes widened as she noticed for the first time how much he had changed. He was much taller, towering over her own 5'8 height. His hair was still as wild as ever and his eyes still held the same dark mystery, but his face was more filled-out and the lines of his jaw were more defined.

He seemed unaffected by her gawking stare. "You'll have to wait here. There's a sensor placed just in front of the beams. It'll let me through, but not you. Once, I'm inside, I'll deactivate the mechanism." He stepped through the beams and entered a small code into a keypad on the other side. At once, the beams retracted.

Trowa jumped back out and picked up the bag.

Noin broke the silence. "Where will this tunnel take us?"

"It's a shortcut. I know where Duo, Quatre, and Wufei are. The fastest way to reach them is to contact them from a central location on a secure channel. That way, it won't take us very long to assemble." He immediately turned, carefully placing the bag inside the tunnel and climbed through the hatch.

'Still a man of few words.' Thought Noin. It was good to know that something had not changed. Everything was in such chaos. If the contents of the chamber contain what I think it does, we're in for a lot of trouble. 'I just hope they can do something about it.' She climbed into the narrow tunnel behind Trowa.

A few meters down she stopped and gasped. The walls of the tunnel were coated with smeared pools of dried blood. It sent chills down her spine. "Trowa…what…what happened here?"

He stopped dead in his tracks and scooted around. Their faces were very close. Noin's eyes went wide as she noticed the look in his own - they were swirling with something dark and terrible. He voice was low, but she winced as if he had shouted. "I've seen an awful lot of things, Noin, as I'm sure you have. But this…this is one thing you'd rather not know about. The Alliance did some treacherous things to those who had the power and influence to spawn a rebellion. Those who were caught did not fare well." He pulled back and sat down, ducking his head. "Tell me now. Does this have anything to do with Bartkusonete?"

"Yes. I'm sure you know about the current status of his underground base in the north. Lady Une filled me in on the rest. I also saw Releena. That's when I knew something was wrong. I don't know what's in that canister. But whatever it is, it's dangerous. She's afraid, Trowa. I've never seen her like that before. From the temperature regulation devices and the atmospheric controls, I'd guess it's a biological weapon of some sort. But why stoop so low? That kind of warfare was banned centuries ago. No one will stand for it. Every nation would protest that. It makes no sense."

He regarded her with a cool, collected tone of voice that showed no hint of worry or shock. "That depends on your objective. It's an odd move, true. But not necessarily an illogical one." Without a second glance he turned around and continued crawling through the tunnel.

Lucretcia sat with her mouth agape. That's it?! That's all he has to say?! She felt like kicking the behind right in front of her face and then shaking him, demanding that he give her an answer. At the very least he could tell her he had a plan - an idea of what was going on! But then she stopped. What if he didn't have one? Were the Gundam pilots trained to deal with this type of weapon? Guns, lasers, and machinery were one thing…but…an invisible pathogen? How do you fight something when all knowledge about it had been destroyed centuries ago? She chewed on her bottom lip. 'We all tend to rely on them so much. What would happen if they failed?'

She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. 'I wish Zechs were here. I trust Trowa, but…' She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Her job was to deliver this thing to the gundam pilots. Then she could have time to worry. 'One thing at a time, Lucretcia.'

______________________________________________________________

"Well?" Heero asked as soon as the door of the lab slid closed. He pulled at his collar of his uniform and undid the first button.

Sally Poe rolled her eyes before quickly pressing the lock on a panel near the door. "You never change. Always right to the point." She hit a switch on her computer terminal and shut down the surveillance system. "The rumors are true." She stated mater-of-factly as she began packing several medical instruments into a small case.

He seemed neither impressed nor the least bit concerned. "I know they are. Dr. J. has been here for almost a week."

"No. I think we do have a hostage. I know you've been monitoring the system, but I think there is a lot we don't know. Bartkusonete is smart - that's one thing in his favor. He knows exactly what he's doing and he's not taking any chances. Dr J. is important for inventing and designing weapons, but in the political arena he has no pull."

Heero gave her a cold stare, but nodded. "Makes sense. Bartkusonete's getting pretty desperate. Although, as you said, it would have to be someone very important to get the Federation's attention."

"Mmm. There're only a few he could possibly get his hands on. Governor Cottrel is in the east, Jamael Atin is still on tour in the southern district, and Baron Adiaz is confined to bed rest after his recent heart attack. That leaves only two - Lady Une and Releena Darilin." She said, reaching up to a high shelf to pull more equipment down and threw it into her brown bag.

"Wrong. That leaves one. Our spies reported that Lady Une blasted out of the Highland Spaceport two days ago. Since then, she's been meeting with every official of the Colonial Cabinet. Either we're getting recognition or Bartkusonete's true scheme has been uncovered. In any case, we still have a big problem." Heero's eyes darted back and forth as he watched Sally run from one end of the room to the other. "What are you doing?"

She stopped, her two blonde braids whipping about her, and put a hand on her hip. "What does it look like? I'm packing." Sally immediately resumed her task.

Heero was silent for a long time and then sighed. She was going and that was that. "Go to the hanger." He took out a small slip of paper and handed it to her. "Contact Quatre at this frequency. I'm going to get Releena and Dr. J. out of whatever holding cell they're in. Then I'll disperse the soldiers and destroy this bunker, taking as many mobile suits with it as we can."

Sally raised a brow. "Destroying the bunker is an easy task for you, but how are you going to suddenly convince all these soldiers to go home with no pay and no food? Don't forget the entire reason this whole thing started."

"Don't worry. I haven't. Oh, and Sally, give my regards to Wufei." He placed a black cap over tousled hair, unlocked the door and stepped out.

'Of course.' She muttered after turning a healthy shade of crimson. She trusted Heero with her life, and had complete confidence in his abilities, but it was annoying at times – Heero honestly seemed to be aware of everyone and everything – almost as if he were not human. 'I wonder if there's anything that would surprise him.' She pondered ruefully.

______________________________________________________________

"Hilde!" Duo screamed at the top of his lungs, while digging through a heap of junk.

"What?!" Came an exasperated cry, as Hilde Schpiker poked her head out of a small office. She caught sight of him rummaging through bolts, old battery cells, and various other scraps. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Everything was a complete disaster. At this moment it was difficult to remember why she ever agreed to go into the salvage business in the first place.

"Where in the he…"

"Duo!!!!!" 'Uh-oh. Here it comes.' He thought, cringing as he turned around. Her voice was high enough to shatter glass, and his long braid whipped up behind him as 'Hurricane Hilde' went on the warpath.

"Do you even have a clue as to how long it took me to organize everything into separate categories, ready to be put NEATLY into storage compartments for later use?! How do you expect to sell anything if you can't even find it?!"

That did it! After all, he was Duo Maxwell - God of Death. He jumped to his feet, fearlessly facing her 'whirlwinds.' "I had everything arranged just fine before you stuck your hands in everything and screwed up my system!"

"You call 'throwing the newest stuff on top' a system?!"

Duo narrowed his eyes. There was only one way to win this arguement.

Hildie's eyes widened when she saw his wicked gleam. "No, Duo. Please. Not…" She shook her head, backing away – looking for a quick exit.

The God of Death stalked his prey carefully in a circle, taking care to make sure she would not escape his wrath. Suddenly, he pounced on her, knocking her to the ground, tickling her mercilessly.

::Gasp:: "Duo…" ::Giggle:: "Please…" :: Giggle::

"Do you surrender?"

"Never!"

He began tickling her harder this time.

Finally she relented. "Ok. Ok. I surrender." She fought to keep her breath. They were both smiling now, all traces of anger gone. His arms supported his weight as he still leaned over her. Her smile slowly faded as she gazed up at his face and fell for him all over again. Out of all the Gundam pilots, he was the first to make a joke or crack a smile. Even when things were unbearably difficult, he could make her laugh. His voice was much deeper now, but his face still held much of the youth and boyish charm he had when she first met him. And then there was that braid - she had given up on that long ago. It was past his knees now. But that was a part of his charm too. Her eyes closed as she noticed him starting to close the gap between. Out of the blue a high-pitched beeping noise interrupted them.

Duo grumbled as he leaned his forehead against her's before pushing himself up and stalking off towards the small office, muttering curses the whole way. "This better be good or da…"

As soon as he stepped inside, the view-screen activated. "Yo Trowa! Long time no see, pal! What's up? Tired of circus life and come to join us junk collectors, huh?"

Trowa reluctantly cracked a smile, but quickly returned to his stoic self. "I'm afraid not. Come to the hanger as soon as you can. There's an emergency."

"Sure thing, buddy. I'll be there in a flash." He turned around to leave, but quickly spun back. "And Trowa?"

"Yes?"

"You're losing your power, man. I'll get you to laugh at one of my jokes yet."

A rare, broad smile crossed Trowa's face before the screen went blank and switched off. Duo smacked his hands together and gave a yelp. "Yeeehaaaww! We're back in business."

"Duo?" Hilde's unamused voice came from the doorway. "What was all that about?" She asked eyeing him suspiciously.

"Err…uh…nothing, Hilde. The guys and I are just gettin' together for a little while, that's all. You know…uh…catch up on old times."

She rolled her eyes. "You're a miserable liar, you know that?"

"Hey! I resent tha…"

She cut him off, giving him a quick kiss. "Oh shut up for once. It's a deal. I won't follow you this time. Besides somebody has to clean up this mess." Her voice turned serious, before she slipped out of the office. "But Duo, come back in one piece, ok?"

"Sure thing." He said confidently and winked.

______________________________________________________________

Quatre hugged Noin and Trowa warmly. "It's so good to see you both again. I'm sorry I couldn't meet you sooner, but there were a few things I had to take care of…" He trailed off a bit at the end, noting Noin's agitated, nervous stance, but kept a true, genuine smile.

Trowa walked to a dusty table in the old shuttle hanger and placed the bag on top of it. He unzipped it and pulled the bag away from the cold, black surface of the tube. "This is it."

Quatre studied each of the gages, wires, and switches. "The casing itself isn't a weapon or a part of one. Miss Noin is right though, it's protecting something inside."

"Well it doesn't look very impressive to me." A new voice answered.

All three of them whipped around to see Chang Wufei leaning casually against the wall on the opposite side of the room. He was dressed in the traditional white garb of his clan and a ponytail hung to mid-back.

He sauntered up to meet the group, leaning over the table to get a good look at the black canister.

"Did you bring the equipment?" Quatre asked Wufei.

He nodded. "Level 1 security. There was a slight problem with getting the Baron's approval, but it was relatively easy to break into the lab."

"Level 1?" Lucretcia asked, shocked. "Are they in that much of a panic?"

Wufei raised a brow. "It tends to happen when a insane fool takes a hostage of political importance."

"No. Not Releena?!"

Quatre nodded. "She's been missing since you left the spaceport. The news took a while to get out since she hasn't been seen in public for a while. But yesterday it was formally announced."

"I knew I shouldn't have left her alone! Oh God, what will Zechs say?! I've got to go find her!" She picked up her weapons and made tracks for the underground tunnels.

"Noin."

She whipped around to face Trowa. "Don't go alone. Zechs should be well enough to travel by the time you get through the tunnels. I'll have him meet you there."

"But I just can't…"

"We were being followed. The tunnels are clear for the moment, but whoever it was will be waiting for you. I'll get you through the security check points, but after that, it's up to you."

"Thank you. Good Luck." She said quickly. Lucretcia glanced one last time at the black chamber before running toward the exit.

Quatre eyed Trowa warily. "You know where Releena is. Why didn't you tell her?"

Trowa regarded him silently for a moment, then turned away walking back to the table.

Wufei crossed his arms across his chest. "For one thing, she's too distracted. Focus and balance are needed if we're going to defeat the enemy. Plus, she'll make a good distraction. It may buy us some time."

Quatre frowned and was about to voice his disapproval when Wufei backed away suddenly, his head whipping up to glare at the ceiling. "Did you hear that?" He asked, ready to face any challenge.

"Faintly." Trowa replied, scanning the room for any signs of an unwelcome intruder.

"There!" Quatre shouted, pointing to a shadow on one of the steel rafters, hanging 75 meters above.

"Quick! Split up!" Wufei called, pulling out a gun that had been tucked in his jacket pocket.

______________________________________________________________

Trowa tumbled across the back of a joint - where two rafters, spanning opposite directions, met. With lighting speed, he stood upright, on his feet once more. There! There's that shadow again! He whipped to the left, running across the beam, a mere 15 centimeters wide. Just millimeters away from the next junction, a figure jumped in front of him, clad in black. Trowa easy did a flip, landing just behind the intruder. He brought his gun to the man's head and cocked the barrel.

A broad smile crossed the face, concealed in shadows. Only the white of his teeth showed through the darkness. The intruder ducked, turned to face Trowa, and swung a swift, circular kick, intending to knock Trowa off his feet - and most likely off the rafter itself.

Trowa inhaled sharply, stunned that he'd been so easily defeated. With the impact to his shins, he wavered and fell. In a desperate act, he grabbed on to beam with his left hand.

"Trowa!" Quatre screamed from the rafter directly across the way and began making his way toward him.

Noin and Wufei followed suit, consumed by fear for their friend and anger for this mysterious intruder.

"Well, well, well." The intruder said mockingly. "What do we have here?" He asked, sauntering to stand just next to Trowa's hand.

There was no fear in Trowa's eyes - their dark green almost glowed through the shadows. 'I will not die here. Not now. There is still too much…' He chanted to himself. "Yaaaaaaa!" He gave a cry, mustering all his strength, and swung his body up. He did a back flip and landed with easeful grace just behind the stranger. His eyes narrowed as he reached out and pulled on the long, brown braid.

"Heeeeeeeey! Whadda' think your doin? That hurts!" Duo cried.

"You wine like a woman." Wufei stated. "He let you off rather easy. I would have killed you without a second thought.

"I don't think so, Wu-man. You know, you're all gettin' pretty lax. Seems to me like you needed a little practice to wake you up."

Quatre shook his head. Same old Duo. Making wise cracks and pulling stunts, whether appropriate or not. The God of Death - before he knew him, the words that came with that title seemed to be more mystery and silence. Now they were a constant contradiction when Duo was concerned.

Wufei rolled his eyes. It was amazing that Duo was even able to pilot a gundam, better yet even have a chance at getting the upper hand on Trowa. He was reckless, cocky, and his wisecracks were totally inappropriate. For a moment he considered knocking him out with a swift kick, but decided against it. There was too much to do and Duo's skills, feeble as he thought them to be, were needed. "Enough. We have work to do. There are only 6 hours before the timer runs out."

______________________________________________________________

A few minutes later, Trowa sat at a computer terminal continuously sifting though classified documents. 'There's nothing here. Romefeller apparently did one good thing.' "Humph." Who was working for Bartkusonete that could reinvent this technological terror? Noin was right. No one in his right mind would. There had to be something else. He turned to Quatre who was seated at the terminal on the far side of the small room. "It's not a biological weapon. Bartkusonete doesn't want death, he wants control."

"You're right. But that still doesn't answer the question of just what is in that canister and why Releena was hiding it in the first place."

Trowa was about to speak, when a cry was heard.

______________________________________________________________

Duo found himself, soldering a damaged wire connecting to the atmospheric stabilizer, while Wufei ran several logistics tests. "That about does it." Duo sighed, ripping off his goggles. "This baby shouldn't have any more problems!

He jumped down from the table, causing to wobble on its old legs. Suddenly white steam shot off from a release valve causing him to jump. The pressure dials began to fall, the locks released, and a red knob lighted green.

Wufei grabbed his collar and shook him. "What did you touch, fool?"

"Hey! I didn't touch anything! I swear!" Duo cried.

Trowa and Quatre came running down the hall and into the open bay area.

"I thought we had four hours left!" Quatre murmured.

"Obviously not." Trowa whispered as the side cracked open,

with a loud hiss.

______________________________________________________________

Human Nature - A Gundam Wing Fanfic by Goddess Moon

(jmcchick@hotmail.com)

Chapter 4 - Secrets

Year: After Colony 198

In the middle of the night, Releena shifted her position, unable to sleep. Every bone in her body seemed to hurt and her stomach burned with hunger. Her head pounded loudly as she tried desperately to stay awake. She couldn't sleep - not now. There just had to be a way out. She stared at the cell door, praying for a miracle. 'Humph! Praying isn't going to get you anywhere unless you get up and help yourself. You've wallowed long enough. Get up!' She commanded her body and somehow it obeyed. Her knees were wobbly, but she pressed on, cautiously approaching the small window at the top of the door.

She gasped. A thick green gas began to seep through the opening, followed by the shrill calls of a warning alarm. Several of the guards just outside began shouting and calling orders. Suddenly there was a loud thud and then silence. Only the hissing sound of the creeping gas could be heard. Releena's heart was beating a mile a minute. She heard the lock release and she froze. 'This is it.' She swallowed back her fear and waited for the door to open. 'I'll get out of here if it's the last thing I do! And then I'll find you and everything will be okay.'

The door slid open and she jumped at the soldier standing in the doorway with all her might, hitting him, clawing at him, fighting with everything she had. The soldier was not so easily defeated, however. Number one, she was weak and exhausted and number two, he was much stronger and bigger than she. 'No! No! I won't let you!' Her mind cried. 'I'm getting out of here and no one is going to stop me this time!' Tears streamed down her face as she blindly attacked him. He finally caught hold of her wrists, trying to stop her struggling, but she refused to give in, taking a firm bite into the hand that held her wrist.

He didn't even cry out or flinch. Sensing that it wasn't working, she yanked her body away as hard as she could, causing him to loose balance. But the soldier didn't let go of her arms and they both went crashing to the floor. She continued to struggle, but he pinned her body beneath his and held her wrist with an iron grip just above her head.

The fight in her died as exhaustion, hysteria, and utter despair flooded her senses. She cried without heed now. It was gone. She had no more strength and no more hope.

"Releena…"

Instantly her body froze. That voice…that was a voice she'd know anywhere. Her eyes flew open and she opened her mouth to call out to him, but nothing would come. Only a hoarse cry from the back of her throat arose. She wanted to reach up and hold onto him and never let go, but she had no more strength left. She could only make out outline of his jaw in the shadows, but his intense eyes seemed to burn through the darkness. They were the last thing she saw before everything went black.

______________________________________________________________

Citizen Governor Genot, head of the Colonial Cabinet, pounded his fist on the conference table. "We will not take any more chances!" He cried, in his French accent.

Lady Une sighed, rubbing her temples. "Please, Citizen Governor, you have to give us some more time. We're working on the problem as fast as we can."

"You've had almost a year! How long does it take?! How long should we wait for another madman to come along and destroy another one of the colonies' satellites?! No, Lady Une, we've been patient long enough. From here on in, we're taking matters into our own hands."

She narrowed her eyes and raised a brow. For a moment the voice and commanding tone of Colonel Une, echoed off the walls. "So, what you're saying is, you're ready to start another war?"

"Well, no…I…I…that is…" He stumbled on his words, desperately trying to find a sufficient answer.

She raised a brow. "Oh? I think you are, Citizen Governor." She spat. "Several reports have reached me that not only have you ordered a halt to the MS materials recycling project, but that you've also begun reconstruction on what used to be the Lunar Base. Tell me, why does the peace seeking leader of the colonies need such weapons?"

Genot smiled and answered in a calm, sickeningly sweet voice. "Now tell me, Lady, why a Minister of Peace needs spies."

Lady Une smiled back, ready and willing to play his little game. 'This is one battle you're not going to win.' "I suppose old habits die hard. But then, how do you know that *I* don't have my own stockpile of weapons and soldiers? Then there're the Preventors - they are peacekeepers not peacemakers. I wonder what would happen if I let your little secret accidentally slip out?"

"How dare you! You would leave the colonies defenseless?!"

"The colonies will never be defenseless. The Preventors fight to keep peace both on Earth and in the colonies. I told you before, Citizen Governor. Give me the time that I need."

The middle-aged man sat back in his seat and sighed. "Very well, Lady Une. I will give you two days, no more. It starts as of this second." His eyes narrowed and his face darkened as he leaned back over the table, his voice low and dangerous. "But I warn you, if anything happens on colonies, I'm holding you, your little group of assassins, and the Federation responsible!" He rose and bowed, twirling his long mustache between his fingers. "I wish you great success." He drawled, and then turned and left the room.

Lady Une released the breath she had been holding. She almost wished she were once again Colonel Une. He would be the first to go! Such narrow-minded people ought to be thrown off the face of the Earth. 'Hmm…' She shook her head. There were more important things to think about, although, the idea was tempting. Thank goodness she didn't have to see his weasel face for two days.

She whipped a small communications device out of her briefcase. "Come in 01. Are you there?"

"This is 01."

"Listen. It has to be done tonight. Afterwards, meet me here at the capitol. Hurry! Genot will not cooperate and we're running out of time. This has to be settled in 48 hours."

"Roger that."

______________________________________________________________

The voices seemed distant and far away. One was low and raspy, the other dark and deep.

"Have you got it?"

"Just about. The detonation devices are all in place. I just need to double check the synchronization levels."

Releena opened her eyes. Her vision was hazy at first, but her eyes soon adjusted to the darkness of the room. Dr J. was at a table a good 15 meters from where she stood, busily tinkering with some object or another. A tall soldier stood in front of a wall of surveillance monitors, computer terminals and the like. 'Heero…'

Releena glanced around her. She was circled by large crates to the rear and sides. She moved to stand up, her stiff muscles sore and protesting. Once she did her eyes went wide and she gasped. The room was much larger than she had thought. She was in a large cargo area holding possibly tens of thousands of mobile suits. "My God!" She whispered, stunned and horrified.

Suddenly a hand was on her shoulder and she jumped. "Heero."

He nodded in response gazing at her intensely.

"What…how did…when did they assemble so many? We…"

He put a hand over her mouth and cocked his head, indicating for her to follow him. He walked to a small utility door and swiped a card into the security box. The door opened and he slid through.

Once in the room, he quickly began entering a series of codes into a small computer panel next to the door. The lights came on, followed by a small beep. Finally he looked up and spoke. "We can talk here."

'We can talk?' There was so much to say. Where should she start? She opened her mouth and then quickly shut it. No. Stick to something safe. Suddenly the vision of all those suits came back to here. "Heero, when did they get so many? Lady Une estimated only a few thousand, but we never thought there'd be this many. How were they able to collect all these in a year's time?"

"A lot has happened. There are more resistance groups than you think. It really wasn't that difficult for them to join together in a common cause. The biggest problem in each nation is basically the same and the people are desperate. Ever since the war ended, economic recessions hit several of the dominant markets. Small nations suffered the most. What's more, there hasn't been very much attention given to them at the top and they intend to get it."

"But that's not true! They do have the federation's attention! Don't they understand? Several requests to grant aid and relief came from almost every representative of the major nations including the colonies. Trade programs with the colonies for raw materials would boost their economies by 43%. The figures are there!" She cried.

Heero nodded. "Yet the motions were stalled and then denied. Both Earth and the colonies are suffering because of it. Bartkusonete has many friends in high places. Many who were top military leaders serve in positions of power and wouldn't mind a bit more."

Releena balled her fists. "Power! Power! How stupid they are! Do they just want history to keep on repeating itself?! War leads nowhere. It we don't stop it now, Earth will be nothing more than a graveyard!"

"This isn't the first time peace has been threatened and it certainly won't be the last. Human nature in itself is not peaceful." He casually remarked.

Tears formed in her eyes. "I refuse to believe it! I will fight with everything I have to make sure that people can at least have some semblance of sanity and calm in their lives. They have a right to feel safe and live without fear - to know that they don't have to worry about anyone coming after them or their families anymore - to know that they won't lose anyone else - their parents, their brothers, their children!" She was dangerously near collapsing. Everything hit so close to home. She had been through so much. She knew, she understood what it was like.

"Then that's exactly what you should tell them."

Her head snapped up. "Tell them?!"

"They're all here, Releena, and they all have families. Most of these soldiers aren't aware of Bartkusonete's true objectives. And those who are, follow him out of fear. They don't think they have anywhere else to turn."

Her eyes were distant and she remained quiet for what seemed like forever. "And then?" She whispered.

"Then this base will cease to exist - not one MS will make it out in one piece."

She shook her head slowly almost eerily. "It won't stop him. I tried. But it won't."

Heero frowned and his mouth formed a tight line. Something was seriously off-key. She was as passionate and adamant as ever about her beliefs, but she was afraid - no more like scared to death. This wasn't the usual Vice-Foreign Minister kidnapping - something had gotten to her. His sharp eyes stared at her, deep in thought, for a moment, before he made his way toward her. He should say something, but what? Feelings were those things in that gray area - the place he so easily shut out. Come to think of it, his entire perspective of her was in that gray spot. He'd lost control before, and had spent months regaining it. 'Weak. You are weak.' He told himself. Just seeing her in tears threatened to push him back into that area he had fought so hard to repress. 'No!' His mind screamed. 'You can't afford to lose focus now!' But this…this was one obstacle he couldn't just eliminate. Besides, how do you eliminate an obstacle that is, at the same time, the solution?

Before he knew what he was doing he gently brushed away a few stray locks away from her face and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, as he had done not so long ago.

Releena shut her eyes at his touch. She had missed him so much. She needed his strength, his ability to overcome anything that stumbled into his path. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and have him hold her, assuring her that everything would be fine. But no, she couldn't. Not now - not until…"

The door slid open and his hand dropped.

Dr. J. chuckled mischievously. "Everything's ready. Although, I think I might have went a little overboard. We've wired enough explosives to blow this bunker straight to the moon."

Heero raised a brow. "I doubt that." He turned back to Releena. "We should go."

She looked up and stared into his eyes. They gazed intensely back, almost willing strength to her. She nodded and followed him out the door.

_________________________________________________

Releena leaned against Heero, completely exhausted. She glanced down at all the people - there had to be thousands and she had just poured her heart and soul out to them. If only they would understand! Now was the moment of truth - one that would decide weather or not the plans the Federation had so carefully laid out would work in the future.

Many had listened to her words in earnest, but there were others who upon seeing her, looked like angry wolves, ready to tear her to pieces. It had been hours and she could do no more.

"Lieutenant?" A middle-aged woman with short, spiked red hair had made her way from the crowd and had climbed the steps up to the platform. She wore an old, yet highly decorated Alliance Uniform.

Heero watched her with an intense gaze. "Commander Janez."

She put her hands on her hips and nodded. "You. You were the pilot of 01, weren't you?"

He nodded in return, still watching a few of the more dangerous radicals in the crowd.

She turned to Releena. "May I say what an honor it is to finally meet you. I fought to the end against Oz, then against Libra. It was a hard battle, but it ended correctly. You must forgive me."

Releena was shocked. This was the last thing she had expected. "For what?"

"I never intended for this to go so far. I started the rebellion. I knew that an uprising would gain the Federation's attention. But then Bartkusonete came onto the scene. He was very good with words and he swept us all away with his promises and ideas. Please believe me. I've seen more death than most of the young soldiers here. I never wished for more."

Releena took the commander's hands in hers. "I do believe you. Now please believe me when I tell you that you do have the Federation's attention. You've had it from the beginning. But this way is wrong. You've been in hiding, focusing all your energy on producing weapons rather than voicing your distress to the world. Sometimes people won't listen unless you force them to by not giving up. Please help me end this!"

The woman remained silent for a moment before looking back at Heero. She followed his gaze to a few of the commanding officers standing just a few meters away from them. "They won't give up so easily. They all have promises of power."

"At the moment, they don't have much choice." He replied coolly. A sardonic smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and then disappeared.

"The detonators? Yes. They're perfectly placed. Although, don't you think you went overboard? There's enough force to blow scrap metal to the Moon." She didn't wait for a reply and quite honestly didn't expect one. She'd heard of the legendary pilot of 01 and Wing Zero. He appeared just a few days after Bartkusonete had taken over and she had recognized him instantly. He had been her subordinate for a long time and she could easily see why he was donned "The Perfect Soldier." She turned toward the large audience.

"This is it." Her voice echoed off the steel walls. "You've been given your options and war isn't one of them. You can either accept this mission and return home or you can face the consequences. This base will cease to exist in less than an hour so I suggest you make your minds up quickly."

Releena sighed. That wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Janez caught her expression and smiled. "Again, I must ask forgiveness, but quite a few of these men are battle hardened soldiers, not new recruits. You're going to have to give them a little more time to think about what you said. Unfortunately, we just don't have it. They're accustomed to orders and they'll follow them."

"Nemov, Asheid, Jonesey, Van Gottheil! Take your men and get to the flight deck. Make sure that all aircraft is fueled and secured. I want all staff and personnel evacuated within forty-five minutes. MacCrawl, Anderson, Kabutu! I want your units guarding every sector of this facility. All weapons will remain inside the base. You have any problems; you contact me or you contact the lieutenant. Understood?"

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Good. Now move out!"

_______________________________________________________

Releena hurriedly walked up the ramp of the shuttle and quickly slipped past the cockpit and into what should have been seating for passengers, but since it was a military aircraft, was only a cargo hold. She gulped. Heero was not happy. She hadn't received "the glare" from him in a long time. He was as silent as always when he led her and Commander Janez to the shuttle. This time, however was different. Oh, she'd seen him annoyed and a bit…perturbed, but never furious. To prove it, every now and then she noticed his fists clenching and unclenching or that slight twitching of his right eyebrow. She chewed on her bottom lip, nervously. Suddenly she furrowed her eyebrows. 'Why am I afraid? He's held a gun to my head more times than I can count. Why should this time be any different?' Full of righteous indignation, she stomped toward the door and pressed the release.

Well, yes sireee. There he stood, complete with clenched fists, twitching eyebrow, and, of course, the death glare. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words died on her tongue as the engines ignited and the shuttle began to shake. Releena toppled, but before she could fall, Heero wrapped an arm around her waist and quickly pulled her with him to the far right side of the shuttle. With lightning speed he united the leverage bands from the hooks and wrapped them around her waist several times, firmly securing them. He pinned her against the wall and took a firm hold on the steel rails lining the walls on either side of her. She gulped and held her breath when he brought his body against hers and looked directly into her eyes. "Whatever you do, keep your head back."

She didn't have time to recover from his touch or reply when the shuttle took off - at a much higher speed than normal. The whole cabin vibrated against her head, making it feel as though it were going to explode and her stomach dropped to her toes.

As they gained altitude and speed, Heero's body flew out until it was perpendicular to her own. He clenched his teeth and strained his arms to hold onto the rails as the g-forces increased.

Releena glanced around nervously. Obviously this shuttle was not quite flight-ready. A few of the larger crates were unsecured and could become very dangerous once they attained the weightlessness of outer space. She glanced down to look at Heero, but although she could only see the back of his head, Releena could tell the muscles in his arms were being pulled to the max. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the shuttle shook so violently it caused Heero to loose his grip. Crates, boxes, and other large, heavy object went flying. Before she could think, she pushed her head and arms from the wall with all the strength she could muster and caught hold of the black lapel on his jacket.

He whipped his head up to face hers and his blue eyes burned brightly. He grabbed onto her arm, pulling himself back and forcefully pushed her back against the wall. "Keep your head back!" He commanded angrily.

A large object in the corner of her vision caught her eye. "Heero! Look out!" She cried out too late as the large crate grated the side of his face and blood started to pour from the wound. Everything began to float as they finally passed through the ionosphere and into space where the ride turned smooth.

"Heero…"

He fixed her with a firm gaze. "Stay put until everything's tied down."

Releena closed her eyes, and let out the breath she had been holding. This whole ordeal was still far from over and she still had a feeling the worst was yet to come. How much more could she take? A few tears seeped out of the corners of her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. She couldn't afford any tears at this point. Releena's eyes flew open as she felt warm breaths of air on her face and went wide. Heero was dangerously close to her face, his eyes still blazing with the same fire from when she had grabbed onto the lapel of his jacket.

"Tell me." He commanded huskily, his usually cold and calculating voice low and breathing erratic.

She struggled under his gaze, knowing full well that he wanted an explanation both for her tears and frantic behavior in the cell earlier. God knows, she wanted to tell him everything, but how could she? What would he say? He would think her foolish, weak, unable to even… She shook her head, her eyes stung with the threat of more tears. "Heero, I…I…"

Before she could utter another syllable, his lips came down on hers in a hot, searing kiss.

________________________________________

To be continued…

Arg! I know. I know. I ended it right when it was getting good. But more good stuff is coming. I promise. I have to get back to the other G-boys. After all, I left them hanging on a limb. I'm hoping that the next chapter will turn out to have some humor in - a nice change from this one. I think it'll be out in a week or two! BTW, I love getting e-mail, sooooo…send me some!


	2. Human Nature: Chapter 5

Wow! I have to say thank you's to so many people! Thanks so much for writing and telling me how much you liked the story! It really keeps me going! Ok, next chapter… ::drum roll:: This chapter is I guess what you could call the climax. Our little cliffhangers from the last two chapters will be resolved. Although, don't expect the story to end too soon… I still have plenty in store for our heroes! Anyways, hope you enjoy it!

Oh, and please take a peak at this site: [http://www.geocities.com/save_releena][1]

If you can't tell by the address, this site is dedicated to Relena and was constructed by the members of the "Save Relena Peacecraft" Campaign. Please show your support and visit it!

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing belongs to the Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and Fuji TV. I claim no rights upon the characters or their respective personalities.

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Human Nature - A Gundam Wing Fanfic by Goddess Moon

(jmcchick@hotmail.com)

Chapter 5

Year: After Colony 198

Releena's head was spinning. She had fully expected him to firmly reprimand her and demand an answer, but this? Kissing her like there was no tomorrow with more feeling and passion than he had ever dared to display - it was mind numbing. And at the moment, she didn't care what the reason was. Being here with him like this - safe in his arms, she didn't have to think or worry about…

Suddenly, she pulled away, gasping for breath as reality crashed down on her. "Oh…God…" She whispered, burying her face in the folds of his jacket. She had to tell him. There was no stopping now. She knew he cared for her - maybe he wasn't as madly in love with her as she was with him, but this kiss had aroused a hope that she had almost given up on in the last few months. "Heero…"

"Damn it. Damn it, Releena." He said those words quietly, but they had the effect of a piercing scream and she felt as though she had been stabbed and quickly pushed him away.

He let out a frustrated sigh, his right arm still held onto one of the steel rails beside her, but his head was bent down and he refused to meet her eyes. He cursed himself silently for letting go of his control. If he was going to pull this mission off, he needed every ounce of it. Loosing it now, was not an option. It seemed that it never would be.

A few tears began to slip down Releena's cheeks and blurred her vision as she desperately tugged at the restraints holding her to the wall of the shuttle, wanting to get as far away as she could from that cold voice and those hard eyes. Any more emotional stress and she would soon be taking a trip to the funny farm. Finally free from her restraints, she dared one last look at him. He was staring at the floor and the muscles in his arms seemed even more strained than they were on take-off.

Anger began to replace her fear and heartache. Impulsively, she put her hands on his cheeks, careful of the painful wound, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "You are forever hiding behind a mask - not allowed to show any emotions! But you aren't on the battlefield when you're with me. You don't have to hide! You are allowed to live here and now with real people and real feelings! You said you didn't want to kill anymore. You told me about that little girl and her dog. I know it still plagues you. Let it go! You don't have to bottle up your pain! How long will you shut yourself away?!" She cried and then her voice trailed off as she whispered, "How long will you push me away…"

He turned away from her and was silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke. "Two different people…"

"What?" Releena asked, confused.

He sighed, still refusing to turn around and face her. "I can't be two different people, Releena. The person I am on the battlefield is different from the one I want to be. The thing is, I can never be that person. The past will forever haunt me. Those two people are incompatible and in order for the second to survive, the first must die. And it can't yet."

"But your past is a part of you, Heero, no matter what you do or where you go. Things happen that you can't change. The past is over, but necessary for the future. It will take a long time for the people in both the colonies and on Earth to adjust - both you and Millardo told me that a long time ago. The majority of people do want peace. They proved that by standing up to Dekim's twisted plot. But I hope that the people never forget what happened during all those battles before 196 - all the innocent lives lost - because as long as they remember how horrible it was, they won't want to do it again."

She continued. "You know it's true. You knew back at the base. All those soldiers forgot. It wasn't that they wanted another war - they were just disillusioned by Bartkusonete. All they needed was to have a little faith - faith in the system and faith in themselves. We need the past, Heero, in order to learn from our mistakes and grow into new persons."

"And the time in between? In case you've forgotten, there are still madmen roaming about executing new threats and wars." There was a distinctive bitter edge to his words. His voice was low and deadly, but his eyes told the truth as always - the sorrow, the regret, the pain. He shook his head and continued. "There are those who can't afford to change, who aren't allowed to change until it's too late - those who will be forced to fight until true peace becomes a reality. You said so yourself. People want peace but they also like feeling secure against threats. The Preventors will either last forever or be destroyed with the onslaught of a new war. I didn't want to come back to Earth only to fight again, but I was asked because there was no one else - no one else who could or would. That makes me and the other Gundam pilots different. Because of what we are, there can be no change. I will live on the battlefield as long as it takes."

Releena was at a loss for words and closed her eyes, knowing his pain and sharing it. Of course, she knew how he felt. She'd known for quite some time, but it was always difficult to accept. For him, everything was in black and white - so clear. The world of politics was totally different - there were no distinct lines and you were constantly treading on ice. But now, looking into his eyes, it was so different. Perhaps it was because _he _had said it. But there was still one question. He knew what would happen. He knew he couldn't afford to change, to let that stoic exterior crumble. "Then why? You knew you were going to the base. Why did you come see me?"

His eyes were blank and his face unreadable as he answered, "I needed several access codes that I could only obtain with your identification. And since the transmissions came directly to your mansion, they wouldn't be questioned."

"But you stayed. I know it didn't take you 4 days to find the data and download it. Why did you stay?"

Heero stared at her intently for a few long moments and frowned. She was asking it again - the same thing her eyes asked every time he saw them. She wanted an answer -an answer about feelings, emotions, and the future - an answer he couldn't give because he simply didn't know. He'd spent the past year trying to forget, not remember. Finally, he stated flatly, "You asked me to stay."

Releena furrowed her eyebrows and chewed on her lip. "Did you want to stay?"

He was silent again realizing that she wouldn't stop until he gave her a more direct answer. "Yes and no." Seeing her confused look he held up a hand, silencing her before she could ask another question. "It's complicated." He said and paused, searching for the right words. "You are peace. Wherever you go, it's there. You have what I cannot. Even still, I was only delaying the inevitable."

Her heart swelled with his words, with love yes, but also with a great sadness. He felt his peace through her, because on his own, he would never feel that way - always the demons would haunt him. And without those demons, where would the world be now? Where would it be without Heero Yuy - the perfect soldier? In battle, in chaos - he was right. "But Heero, you don't fight because you want to. A long time ago there was a little boy who survived when others died. His survival would save countless lives in the future. It wasn't in vain." Remembering his words to her 3 years ago, she told him, "Life isn't cheap - yours isn't cheap. It meant a great deal then and it still does now."

So now she knew about his past. He frowned and shook his head. It didn't matter. It didn't change what he was. The person he would have been died the moment Dr. J. opened the suspended animation tube. He glanced down at his hands, studying the blood covering them from his wound. Always blood. "So I save lives do I? Then why do I destroy everything I come in contact with?" He snarled.

"No!" She impulsively took her hands in his, wiping the blood off of them with her shirt.

He stared at her, took shocked to move.

"No." Releena repeated gently. "You don't. I know so. Heero, I've been so afraid to tell you. I've been such a coward. But I have to tell you. With each new generation, peace will become more of a reality. And you created a part of that." She paused, took a deep breath, and gave a tiny half smile. "You can't wish it back. I don't want you to wish it back. Heero, what I'm trying to say is…"

Janez's voice echoed off the walls as the door leading to the cockpit slid open. "We're just a few minutes away from dock…ing…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed the two and she raised a brow. 'Interesting. So it is true.'

Heero gritted his teeth and quickly dislodged Releena's hands from his own. He fought to keep his voice steady. Janez was in the middle of this - he knew. All the private one on one meetings with Bartkusonete. The orders to Sally - she was dangerous, almost as dangerous as Bartkusonete himself. Releena's insistence on bringing her for backup was a mistake - one he feared would cost them dearly. "Why do you have the ship on auto pilot? The landing gear had to have been damaged as well as a few of the computer's secondary functions."

She smiled with a coy grin. "Right on target. The shuttle is on a routine circle around the colony's main sector. It's standard procedure and I thought we should have a game plan before contacting the security tower."

"Don't worry about it. We have clearance. Just make sure you remove your jacket, and any rank or insignia you may be wearing." He turned to Releena. "Stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes." Heero pointed toward a red crate. "In the mean time, you should hunt through that crate. See if you fit any of the clothing." With his blank, cold, expressionless face, he turned around and followed Janez into the cockpit.

Just after the door slid shut, Releena buried her face in her hands. "Why does this have to be so difficult?! Heero…"

_________________________________________________

All four of the Gundam pilots backed away from the chamber as the hissing and steam died down. A blue fluid began to steadily ooze out of it.

"I've never seen anything like it." Quatre whispered. "Could it really be a weapon?"

Duo grimaced. "Twice! This is so not cool! Threatened twice by two things you can't even see - a lack of air and now some crazy disease!"

Wufei rolled his eyes. Why did he always end up in a life or death situation with a walking mouth? Couldn't the gods let him face his last moments with honor and in peace? "Maxwell! If you have nothing of importance to contribute, keep your mouth s…" Suddenly he stopped and stared intently at the oozing, florescent blue liquid. Hmm… Where had he seen that before? 'Genes,' the word popped into his mind, followed by 'Sally.' What in the world? In an instant, his eyes grew wide. "The lab." He whispered.

"What lab?!" Duo asked. However, he received no answer. Wufei continued to mumble, shifting between Sally, the crazy woman, immoral, the blue liquid, and then back to Sally. Duo grinned wickedly and then put an arm around Wufei. "You go Wu-man! It's about time. You and the…ahem…'crazy chick' finally hooked up, didn't yah?! Damn! This is lousy. Finally some good blackmail material about Wufei and I'm about to bite the dust!"

"KISAMA!" Wufei shouted, pushing Duo away. He whipped out his sword and flashed it in front of Duo's nose. "Have you no respect?! Talk again, and you'll be joining the world of your name's sake!"

Quatre quickly intervened. "Would you both stop it?!" This was not the time for this nonsense!

But before Quatre could continue his lecture, Trowa interjected. "Wufei, what is it? Do you know what this is?"

Wufei waved his sword in front of Duo's face once more before reluctantly putting it away. "That crazy woman is fascinated by genetics. She'd been researching gene alteration before she began her current assignment. Immoral business!" He grumbled. "She kept the altered cells in small atmospheric control devices. They were surrounded with a yellow liquid - not that dissimilar to this blue one."

Trowa nodded and quietly added, "The yellow tint could have been caused by the presence of a chemical preservative. When traveling from colony to colony, we'd inject the animals with a gene-altering chemical that forces them into a prolonged hibernation period while traveling from one location to another. It also increases cell division, ensuring that they will live longer."

"Then I think it's safe to say, that whatever is in that tube is alive." Wufei stated.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Duo recklessly approached the table, paying no heed to the swishing sounds of the blue fluid beneath his feat. Just before reaching out, he noticed a flashing red light on one of the gages. "Hey, this thing is out of oxygen!" Whatever it was wouldn't be alive much longer. Wasting no time, he pulled right side of the chamber, opening it fully. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "Wha…"

Inside the chamber was a glass tube, holding a small infant no more than two or three months old. A clear fluid surrounded the sleeping child.

"Is that what I think it is?" Duo asked, unable to move. This was certainly the last thing he'd ever expected.

After overcoming his initial shock, Quatre ran up to the table and seized hold of the tube - desperately trying to find a way to open it.

"Quick! Help me find the release."

The desperation in Quatre's voice awoke them from their stupor and all four crowded around him. Quatre searched the surface. "There's nothing here! He'll die soon if we don't get him out!"

Trowa stepped back for a moment, his eyes falling on the equipment resting next to the chamber. "Wufei, can you do a quick analysis of the surface. The release seems to be invisible so it must either be magnetically or electronically sealed."

Wordlessly, Wufei grabbed the control unit and began punching in figures and access codes. After several moments, a small bolt of electricity emitted from the top of the tube, giving Quatre a small shock and a panel on the side slid open.

Quatre reached inside, seized the infant, and pulled him out. Acting quickly, he reached inside the baby's mouth and cleared the breathing passages. "Come on!"

Trowa stood just behind Quatre. "The first few minutes out of suspended animation are critical. If he doesn't start to breathe soon, he'll never wake. He's awfully small to have been put in the chamber in the first place."

"Come on kid, breath!" Duo cried, before giving it a slap on its backside.

Finally a loud, ear-piercing cry emitted from the infant's mouth. Quatre awkwardly held it at arm's length, relieved it was alive.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with his lungs, that's for sure!" Duo cried, covering his ears.

"What an amazing observation, Maxwell." Wufei drawled before turning toward Quatre. "Well, what's wrong with it now?" He asked as the infant continued to wail in hysteria with a beet red face and his tiny body shaking from head to toe.

Quatre shrugged, still holding the baby about a foot away from him. "I don't know."

"Can't you do something to quiet him? If you don't remember, this hanger is supposed to abandoned. The sound waves from any loud noises will be detected."

"I don't know, Wu-man. It doesn't seem to come with an off switch." Duo remarked snidely.

Wufei narrowed his eyes, counting to ten. His hand was itching to whip out his sword.

A glint of light caught Trowa's eye as Quatre ran about the room, trying his best to calm the baby - only making it cry all the harder. Immediately, he took the child from Quatre and removed the gold chain from round its neck. Opening the small oval locket, he stared at the picture inside.

"What is it, Trowa?" Quatre asked.

He held out the locket. "Look inside. Notice anything familiar?"

All three crowded around him and stared at the picture of the woman with her cerulean eyes. Duo smiled. "Hey, I've seen this locket before! It's Heero's. I stole a peek at it once and nearly got my teeth knocked out!"

Wufei's jaw dropped as it sunk in. "The dishonor…" He breathed.

Duo scratched his head for a minute, before a wide devilish grin spread across his face. "I never would have thought…Why that son of a…"

Before he could finish, Trowa interrupted, "Duo, give me your jacket."

"What?" He asked.

"Give me your jacket." He repeated flatly, but his eyes flashed a silent warning.

Duo hesitated at first, but gave in without a fight. Trowa seized the garment and wrapped it around the boy, instinctively holding the baby close to him. "The temperature in here is 65 degrees. The atmospheric stabilizers in the chamber were set at 80. He's freezing." Sure enough, within a few moments the baby's cries began to subside.

"Humph. Well what do you know." Duo commented.

Quatre frowned. "Aside from who this baby is, why does Bartkusonete want him so much. Releena was enough of a ransom."

"He's a crazy, insane psycho maniac." Duo mumbled as he began wiping the blue liquid off his boots. "What more do…" He trailed off as his eyes fell on Wufei, who was holding the locket and it clicked. Genetics + Heero. "Woah…I don't believe it…he was telling the truth. Damn! And I thought it was all just a big joke!" The others were staring at him intensely now and he ran a nervous hand through his hair. "Uh…well…"

Wufei smacked him upside the head. "Hurry up and tell us!" He started at the irony of those words. 'I pray for him to shut up and now I'm begging him to speak!' He glanced upward and raised a brow, wondering if someone was trying to make a mockery of him.

After giving Wufei his own version of the death glare, Duo cleared his throat and sighed. "A while back, I was having one of those conversations with Heero - you know the ones where I talk and he suddenly pulls out a gun and tells me to shut up."

Wufei's eyebrow twitched.

"Right. Well, we…I uh…had brought up the subject of him and 'leena finally getting together, you know. As always, he denied that he had any feelings for her, but of course I knew better. The err…conversation continued and I told him that he'd have to give in some time or another. After all, he's human. It's only natural to go after her. He really surprised me then. Heero had never let anyone see his anger before then. Believe me, I am now the voice of experience. Let's just say, I was sporting a couple of broken ribs after that. Before he left the room, he very quietly said that he wasn't a normal human. I really didn't know how to take it and I sure as hell wasn't bringing it up again! That's twice he's busted my gut and I don't intend for it to happen again if I can help it. So, I just blew it off."

"Genetically altered, perhaps." Trowa stated as he glanced down at the now sleeping child in his arms. "The effects can't be reversed and would be passed on."

Quatre shook his head. "That would explain why Miss Releena refrained from being in public - aside from the stir it would create in the media, he would be in great danger. Bartkusonete must have found about him somehow."

"The next Perfect Soldier, eh?" Duo scratched the bridge of his nose. "The kid would probably be able to withstand a lot more pain, g-forces, all that kind of stuff - just like his old man."

Wufei narrowed his eyes. "True ability comes with time, training, and experience. If he were to undergo the same training as Yuy, then it's likely that he would be just as deadly if not more so. That is the true objective. Nothing could be more desirable to one who seeks dominance of power."

"And he'll stop at nothing to get it." Quatre spat. He furrowed his brow. "Miss Noin is in grave danger. I knew we shouldn't have let her go alone. We have to go after her."

"I'll go." Trowa volunteered. "Wufei, can you reassemble the chamber?"

"It won't be easy, but the equipment should be able to determine the exact mass needed to compensate."

Trowa nodded. "Good, as soon as it's ready, I'll head out. Bartkusonete is still looking for it. We need to get him as far away from the boy as possible." He then turned to Quatre. "Are they finished?"

The blond man's eyes grew wide. "You knew?!"

"Not until I hacked into the system, but yes. It will only be a matter of time. Bartkusonete will do everything to ensure instability. The Gundams were symbols of peace. If they were to be used against the people, as originally intended, chaos would ensue. If he follows his previous actions, he would then take advantage of the situation and expediently carry out his plans."

Wufei's nostrils flared. "Nataku?"

Quatre quickly sat in a chair and sighed, "I was wishing that it would never come to this." He curled his fists as he became angry. "But there always seems to be someone pushing us into a corner and leaving no other alternative but to fight. It's ironic isn't? A long time ago, I suggested that we send them all into the sun and here I am - working like crazy to build new ones."

Duo for his part was just a little miffed. What was with all the secrecy? Not even Trowa knew until a few minutes ago. What was going on? "Wait, just a sec. Whose idea was this? And exactly how long have you been overseeing the construction of new gundams?!"

"It was actually a joint decision. Two months after the end of the Marimeia incident, Lady Une paid me a rather unexpected visit. A week later Heero and Zechs Marquise also came. Bartkusonete was just starting to maneuver events and we knew that it would only be a matter of time before he could take action. For the most part, general MS technology is open to the public. All you need is someone who knows what they're doing. Plus, the all disarmament policies had not taken effect and Lady Une expected that there would be some refusals especially from the larger arms corporations."

He stared at the ground. Hi voice was low and thick with emotions. "We decided that it would be a wise decision to rebuild the gundams. However, they would only be a last resort. No one was to know anything besides us and my crew. Of course, I would have told you, but I was wishing that there would never be a need to power them up again." Quatre looked up at them. "All of them are virtually complete with the exception of Deathscythe. We were having some problems with the upward propulsion systems. But, that's been taken care of now. Deathscythe should be completed in about 12 hours."

Trowa stood quietly for a moment. "If the latest reports from Earth are true, there is no longer an army on Earth for Bartkusonete to use. Yet, MS production in space is not efficient enough to make up the lack of numbers."

Quatre nodded. "I really think that it was an excuse to get us to rebuild the gundams. Who needs an army when you've got a gundam, let alone, Wing Zero? We should never have done it."

"There is no room for past regret." Wufei voiced firmly. "If that is the case, we need to get to get to the gundams and destroy whatever MS production facilities are left. Then we think about what to do with them later."

Quatre relented. "That seems like the only thing we can do. You'd better get started, Trowa. I'll head back to CZ-6846. Before you begin landing procedures send all your identification data through the computer system. Rashied will be waiting for you. Wufei, I'll expect you're arrival at 1900."

Wufei nodded.

"Hey! Isn't somebody forgetting something?!" Duo shouted. "What the hell are we gonna do with this kid?! Gundams don't come with a baby seat!"

"Don't worry about it. Besides, Deathscythe won't be ready for another 12 hours. You may not even need it." Trowa said flatly as he held out the baby to Duo who immediately held his hands up. "No way, pal."

Trowa gave him a cold stare. "Take him." His voice left no room for argument. Duo reluctantly took the baby, holding it awkwardly. "But I don't even know anything about kids!" He wailed as Trowa silently gathered his gear and left with Quatre at his heels through the narrow hatch in the floor, a small grin playing across his lips. Not even a second later, the screaming started again. "Ah, come on, kid. You don't wanna do that anymore, huh?" As soon as those words were uttered, a steady stream of liquid seeped from a very diaperless baby boy through the jacket and onto Duo's shirt. "Trowa!!!!!!"

________________________________________

Noin held her gun tightly. Her breath was heavy and labored from running. With lightning speed she rounded the corner and began firing. After a few rounds, she dove back behind the safety of the reinforced steel building. She was a good shot, but knew that it was only a matter of time. She was tired and wounded. Hissing slightly, she tightened the bandage on her left arm. Suddenly, she heard a click and her head shot up.

Her eyes narrowed as she gazed down into the eyes of a 12 year-old boy. He was roguish with spiked blond hair, a sadistic smile, and 6 earrings lining his left ear. "You caused me quite a bit of trouble lady. I've been hunting you for the past 3 hours. But don't worry. Your pain won't last too long. I promise."

"Do you honestly think that killing me is going to make a difference? You are all going to fail. And when this is over, where will it leave you?"

He laughed mockingly. "I really don't care. You see, I'm #0367 - the latest genetic by product - technically I'm superior to you and to everyone else on this colony, but my lifespan is short. I'll live another year at most. If I fulfill my missions - if I kill you and everyone else who's in they way - I get another injection. That means I live. Sadly, you're not gonna be around to see it. He brought the gun up to her face. "Make a wish."

She was angry to say the least. This was the one who had shot Zechs. She knew it. And ironically, she would die by the same hands and the same gun. She jumped as a shot fired and braced herself. But nothing happened and he eyes flew open. Crumpled on the ground by her feet lay the boy. She released the breath she had been holding. Her shirt was covered in the boy's blood. Lucretcia jumped as a hand grabbed onto her shoulder. "Sally!"

Immediately she embraced the other woman. "Oh, thank God."

"Are you alright?" Sally asked worriedly.

Noin nodded, pulling away and sank down to sit on the ground. She glanced over at the boy and hesitantly reached over to check his pulse. Dead. "Something strange is going on here."

"I know, but we can't talk now. Come on."

Noin shook her head. "No. I have to get Zechs."

Sally smiled. "Don't you worry about him."

Her eyes widened. "Wha…" She followed Sally's gaze to a shadow standing a few meters behind her. "Millardo!" She cried jumping up and running into his arms. It was a rare moment. He was usually calm and ever so strict about public displays of affection. It was always soldier to soldier. But this time he welcomed her into his arms. "Lu, I'm alright." He whispered in her ear.

"I was so afraid." She whispered back.

Suddenly Sally's wrist -com began to beep and she immediately glanced at the message displayed. A bright smile formed across her lips. "Releena's just landed and Lady Une will be meeting with her shortly."

"Thank God." Millardo let out a breath. "She's not safe here. She's not safe anywhere! Come on, Noin, we have to get over there. It'll take a good 4 hours to get to that side of the colony."

Sally embraced her one last time. "You two take care." She turned to Zechs. "Watch out for more units. The latest models - the 368's are out. They won't chase you. They'll simply blow up the entire block, knowing they'll get you in the process."

Zechs nodded as Sally quickly turned and took off toward the Southern District. He knew Noin would have questions. "I'll explain on the way. Let's go."

_____________________________________

Releena glanced around her. She'd been to this port thousands of times for conferences. Although, she had never quite looked like this. She was dressed in a shuttle maintenance crew suit. A long braid, much like Duo's, fell down her back underneath the hat. Her face was smudged with black grease and her suit stained with oil. She glanced to her right. Heero looked much the same. Behind them Janez walked with confidence. She wore a Captain's uniform.

She glanced up, surprised to see a familiar face. Lady Une's smile was tight and forced. She stiffly shook Janez's hand. "Thank you, Captain. I will be pleased to have you as the new commander of my private aircraft. I invite both you and your crew to join me in my quarters for brunch."

Janez politely accepted the offer and they all began to walk toward the waiting cars.

________________________________________

Sally quickly found her way through the tunnels. "Finally. I'm almost there." It took her well over two hours just to reach the entrance. There were 366's and 367's at every turn and they were not easily defeated! She reached up and opened the heavy latch. After crawling through, she sealed the door behind her. Strange. The hanger was empty. Where could they be? She turned suddenly as she heard a frustrated cry, followed by a

shrilling scream. Wait a second. That sounded like…

________________________________________

"Deathscythe hell, kid! You reek!" Duo cried, pulling back the white towel he had used for a make-shift diaper. "Uhhhh! God, what is that stuff?!"

Wufei chose that moment to come stomping through the door and slammed it behind him. "You're worse than a women, screaming and carrying on about this and that! Can't you both keep quiet! Setting this chamber requires the utmost accuracy!" He cried. But after coming within about two feet of Duo his eyes went wide and he quickly dove back toward the door. "KISAMA! What is that FOUL, disgusting smell?!"

"Hey! Pipe down, will yah?! Don't scare the kid. As for the smell, well it's pretty obvious what it is." Holding his breath, Duo bent down and pulled the towel back. "Oh, hell! This is so…"

"Stop your wining and just get it done, Maxwell! Or we'll both be dying from toxic fumes!" Wufei ranted, waving a fist a fist at Duo with one hand, and holding his nose with the other.

"Damn it! I won't take anymore of this!" Duo cried. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing! Wufei, get your @** over here and help me out!"

Wufei sucked in a breath, as his eyes grew large.

_________________________________________

Sally dropped her gear, save the gun cradled in her right hand, and ran down the left hall, following the voices. "All the hustle seems to be coming from here." She thought and opened the door on the right. Her jaw dropped and she couldn't help but laugh at the site in front of her.

Duo and Wufei stood around a small infant, tying the corners of makeshift white diaper. Both were wearing oxygen masks and looked as though they had been through war. The front of Wufei's shirt was stained yellow and his hair had come undone. Duo was desperately trying to get a dark brown stain out of his sleeve. 'Damn it! Twice in one day! And my lucky shirt, no less!' As for the baby, he was lying contentedly on his back, sucking his fingers and cooing away.

"Well, if I didn't see it with my own eyes, I would have never believed it." Sally chuckled, startling them both. Wufei immediately ripped the mask from his face. "It's about time you got here, woman! If you'd been here sooner, things would not be in such chaos!"

She laughed heartily. "Thanks for the compliment, but I'm afraid don't know anything about children. I tended to soldiers not children."

"But…but…you're a woman! You ought to know about such things! It's only natural!" He ranted.

"I'm sorry, but I don't." She continued to chuckle as she walked over to the baby and picked him up. "He seems very healthy." She remarked and turned to Duo. "Congratulations! But don't you think you ought to have left him at home?"

Duo's jaw hit the floor. "What?! This isn't my kid!"

Wufei rolled his eyes and then shivered at the thought of a smaller version of Duo running around the room. "It's obvious! Look at him, woman!"

Sally took a deep breath, desperately trying to control her temper, before she did take a better look. 'Hmm…dark brown hair…those eyes…they seem so familiar.' She shrugged handing the baby back to Duo - the baby promptly grabbing a strong hold onto his braid.

She smiled as she pried his little fists from Duo's hair. "My goodness! He certainly has a strong grip! With that and his unruly crop of brown hair I'd be tempted to say he looked more like Heero than any one." Her smile soon faded when she noticed that they weren't laughing. "No. No. You can't be serious!" She looked at the baby again, who gave her a wide toothless grin before promptly beginning to chew on his fingers again.

"But…but…who…" She gasped. "Releena?!" Her eyes went impossibly wide and she covered her mouth with her hand. "My God! It all makes sense now! I just can't believe…"

Wufei narrowed his eyes. As her…partner…he knew better than anyone that something was wrong. He could see the wheels in her head turning and whatever it was, it did not appear to be good. He immediately guided her to a chair and ordered her to sit, which amazingly, she did with no argument. "What is it?" He asked gently and Duo raised an eyebrow mockingly.

"Before I left for the base, I read up and studied all I could on advanced genetics theories. The reason was because Lady Une and I had found evidence leading us to believe that Bartkusonete was performing experiments. It was an idea originally thought of by Dekim himself - he wanted a perfect group of elite soldiers. They would exercise control and carry out their will. Though we could never find enough substantial evidence to bring him into custody, we do know that Bartkusonete and Dekim had frequent rendezvous just before the Marimeia incident. I went in undercover along with Heero, although he was there for a different reason. However, it worked out wonderfully. He could access the computers and I could understand the medical jargon. What I discovered was horrible- a true atrocity that only a madman would ever conceive of carrying out."

"For the past several years, Bartkusonete's militants have been steeling children from the colonies - those with no names, no homes, no families."

Duo's eyes narrowed and his face contorted in disgust, plagued and haunted by memories of the past.

Sally continued. "They experimented on those children - trying everything you can imagine. From the few records that I saw, I estimated that over 200,000 children have died, but that figure should probably be doubled or tripled. Recently, however, they've had better success. Most come in around the age of 10 - they become stronger, more agile, and more intelligent than a child is twice their age. By the time they're 12 or 13, they're trained killers."

Wufei was surprised - shocked even. "How many of these children are there?"

"Right now, I think a few hundred. It's a small number because most of them don't live beyond 5 or 6 years after the initial alteration."

Duo looked her straight in the eye. "But Heero's lived longer than that - a lot longer."

Sally nodded. "But that was what I couldn't understand. Bartkusonete wasn't looking for Heero. He spent all his time elsewhere, hunting for something or someone. And now, I know what."

Unconsciously, Duo pulled the baby closer. "Well, there's no way in hell, he's getting' his hands on this kid! I swear it!"

Wufei nodded. "Is there anything else you can tell us?"

She sighed. "Unfortunately no. He left for space several days ago. I was unable to track him after that and decided to come here. I have to get to Quatre. Bartkusonete will be looking for the gundams. Just how he knew about their reconstruction, I don't know."

"Well then, you and I had better get going. On our way, we have a special delivery to make." Wufei instructed.

________________________________________

Heero glared at Janez as they approached Lady Une's Suite. Before Janez could follow Releena inside, Heero stopped her. "We'll be eating elsewhere."

She smiled slightly and nodded, following him down the hall.

________________________________________

They had spent a few minutes engaged in small talk. She was dreading telling Releena about the message she'd been unceremoniously asked to deliver. Still, it must be done. Lady Une bit her lip and placed a hand on the cool glass of the window. "He's here. And he's looking for you, Miss Releena." She turned around only to see Releena turn a ghostly white, limbs shaking. Her heart went out to her, but she could not hold back. "He wants to meet with you. Alone."

Releena closed her eyes and sat back down in the chair, afraid her legs would give out at any moment.

She cringed. 'Oh, Relena. I wish there was something I could do, but my hands are tied. Is it right - is it fair for you to carry such a burden? You already have the weight of the world on your shoulders.'

Releena's heart was beating a mile a minute. This man frightened her more than anyone or anything ever had. The simple truth was her child was more important than anything else, and anyone who tried to take him away, would not survive. She was deliberately being backed into a corner. He wanted her to be angry. He wanted her to retaliate and seek vengeance. What a triumph it would be! She balled her fists, her nails digging into the soft skin of her palm. "Tell me. Have you heard from them? Did they…do they…"

Lady Une shook her head. "I'm afraid I haven't heard from any of them. It's far too dangerous at this point. But I can tell you that I seriously doubt he has gotten his hands on it. My reports tell me that Noin met up with Trowa and that the two haven't been seen since."

She let out the breath she had been holding and uttered a silent prayer of thanks. She could do this. As long as there was hope, she would be strong. Gripping the edge of the table she stood. She held her head high and her eyes glittered with courage and strength. "Where?"

Lady Une almost smiled. She truly was amazing - the strongest person to ever be among her acquaintance. Releena was like the strong solid ground of Mother Earth herself. "St. Angeles Cathedral at 1700 hours."

She frowned. So early - there will still be daylight. This man perpetually confused her, but there was one thing she knew. "He wants to see me weak and trembling, but I refuse to give in to anything he wants. I'm going to need some help."

_________________________________________

Heero stood a meter away from the Commander. "Game's over. You tell me what's going on. Now."

She raised a brow and blinked. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

His face bore no expression, but his voice held an angry inflection. "The units and Releena. What does this have to do with her?"

Janez laughed. "I find it terribly ironic that _you_ don't know. I suppose I interrupted your little moment far too early." Her laughter faded and she smiled evilly. "But then, you don't need to know. As of now you are decommissioned."

5 young boys - no older than 12 or 13 approached him, bearing no weapons or arms. He didn't hesitate, taking down two of them with one swift kick. Suddenly, two of them began their attack at once - their punches and kicks precise and accurate. Heero refused to give in and struggled beneath their grip. Janez smiled sadistically. "Meet your replacements." She then reached down and stuck a needle into his arm - injecting him with a bright orange fluid.

___________________________________

Releena stared at the reflection in the mirror. Her hair was swept up gracefully in a braided French knot on top of her head. She wore the traditional clothing of the nobility - everything was complete from the silk covered buttons on the waistcoat down to the brass buckles on her shoes. The only thing Bartkusonete seemed to understand was power- well she would fight fire with fire.

Lady Une shook her head. "You can't go alone. At least let me escort you part of the way."

She shook her head. "No. This is the only way. You have to remain as far from suspicion as you can. Genot is surely keeping an eye on every move you make." She sighed. "I'd be lying if I said I weren't scared to death. He knows my weaknesses, but he hasn't won yet. It's strange. For the first time, I know what it's like to hate someone so much that you wish they were dead. The hurt…the pain - they make us bitter, they make us fight.

Lady Une smiled. "Yes, they do. And it's so easy to give in, isn't it? Almost as if it were instinct or a part of basic human nature. But mankind followed that path for centuries. Finally, the majority have chosen to fight a different battle - they fight to heal, they fight to forgive, they fight to have peace."

Releena looked up at her with wide eyes. "Those were the words from my speech - the one I made directly after the whole battle with Marimeia."

"That's right." Lady Une took her hands. "Don't forget them. They're good words and they're as true now as they were then."

Releena nodded and turned back toward the mirror. 'Round two begins.'

____________________________________

To be continued…

Just a few comments. I got the idea for the genetic altering and experiments from Hitler's Nazi regime. There were tremendous references made to it in Endless Waltz - from the uniforms to the flags.

I don't know when the next chapter will be out. I'm sorry this one took so long, but this is a very busy time for me. I have a lot of projects to get done and finals coming up. But I hope you're enjoying the story so far! And just to remind you, I like getting lots of e-mail!

   [1]: http://www.geocities.com/save_releena



	3. Human Nature: Chapter 6

BWAHAHA!! Left y'all on a cliff hanger, didn't I? Well, I'm back! Hopefully this chapter will be as good as its predecessors! Thank you so much to all the people who have written me! It was no nice and it really encouraged me to keep going through the writer's block!!

Hey, don't forget to check out the GW Campaign: [http://www.geocities.com/save_releena][1]

Please show your support for Relena and visit it!

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing belongs to the Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and Fuji TV. I claim no rights upon the characters or their respective personalities.

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Human Nature - A Gundam Wing Fanfic by Goddess Moon

(jmcchick@hotmail.com)

Chapter 6

Year: After Colony 198

Heero slowly ventured to open his left eye and quickly shut it. His vision was blurred and the bright light made him feel nauseous. He could hear low, muffled voices in the background and took care not to move a muscle. Eventually the voices became distant and silence surrounded him. He waited a few more minutes before opening his eyes again. It was bright - too bright and everything seemed off balance. To make matters worse, his eyes refused to focus. The best he could do was make out fuzzy shapes and shadows. And that worried him.

His mind raced frantically to analyze the situation. What had happened? What was he doing here? Where was he? Faintly, he remembered the attack. Those boys - they were just like him - fast. Too fast and there were just too many of them. They had known his moves like clockwork and responded in a more than timely and accurate fashion. The more he thought, the more his head began to pound. 'What is wrong with me?!' He cried silently. Everything hurt. He'd never felt this bad - not even after self-detonating. If he could just think! But he was so tired…so tired… Eventually, his eyes closed despite his best efforts to stay awake and everything went black.

__________________________________________

Her breath quickened as she slowly made her way up the huge marble steps leading to the cathedral. The hooded black cloak she wore swished up with each step she took. Releena could hear the echoes of the singing voices inside. Swallowing hard, she stepped though the gatehouse and into the atrium. As she approached the main holding area, her heart dropped to her toes. The singing - it was children. She peered into the nave and saw them clustered together in the transept, their angelic faces smiling and happy. Breath refused to come to her as she felt her lungs constrict and a few tears spilled down the sides of cheeks.

Evil. Wicked. Sadistic. She couldn't even think of words horrible enough to describe this man. Fighting desperately for some control, she took a deep breath. 'He's doing this on purpose and you know it, Releena.' She told herself. 'He's trying to get to you and it's working!' It made her sick to her stomach. She shook her head. "No." She whispered. "I can do this. I will do this." Releena turned back to glance at the children. "For them…for the future." She abruptly turned before the security guards could see her and ducked into the shadows of one of the side isles. She quickly lit a candle before slipping through a door and climbing up an old, musty stairwell. She turned the handle on the old wooden door and entered a private box overlooking the nave. Bartkusonete sat with his back to her in a large, plush theater style seat, watching the event. She carefully pulled back her hood and removed her cloak.

"Welcome, Vice Foreign Minister." The deep voice rumbled. He kept his back to her and beckoned. "Do have a seat. This is quite a performance. It would be a shame to miss it."

Releena placed a hand over her heart, trying desperately to slow down its rapid pace. Slowly, she made her way to the seat next to his and sat in the plush chair, looking as dignified and confident as she could manage. Refusing to meet his gaze, she kept her eyes focused on the children below.

"They are beautiful, aren't they?"

"They are." She replied.

"This Cathedral adds to the effect, don't you think? It was the first to be built in the colonies - a grand, resplendent reminder of the rich history of Earth. And that history will continue on, here, in the colonies with tradition and rite."

She narrowed her eyes, knowing exactly where he was going. "The nobility will not last forever, General. Times are changing and the people will not stand for it."

Bartkusonete let out a low rumble of laughter, heartily enjoying one of her sermons. "Yes, Miss Darlian, I am familiar with your libertarian policy. And, I must say, I agree with you. If we continue on with your policy, the nobility will fade into non-existence. But, as you are already aware, both the cabinets in space and on Earth have rejected it."

She boldly turned to face him, fixing him with a burning stare. "That won't be the case for long. The decision is already going through the appeals process."

The smug smirk quickly faded from the General's face. "It will never pass, Minister Darlian. I will see to it personally, if need be. Tradition demands the continuance of our status. The colonies were based on that very premise - each one was founded by one or more great houses. The Barton Foundation is made up of one of the largest and oldest European Families. The nobility has lasted for millennia and, as a part of it, I will not allow it to be destroyed so easily. Think of the chaos it would create! Why, economies would collapse!"

"It would only fail if rejected by the common masses! For all those millennia you spoke of, the upper class has been dictating law and order to the people - acting in the interests of politics and bureaucracy. And look where it lead us - to one war after another! Soldiers dressed in their pretty uniforms, marching gallantly to their own destruction with the numbers of innocent casualties swept under the rug. All those dead people! What did they die for?! It wasn't for freedom or rights, it was for the nobility and their interests!" She cried, her eyes flashing dangerously.

He sighed. "Miss Darlian, self-rule does not and will not work because people are unable to make decisions in the interests of the common good. We are a selfish race and will do what we have to in order to ensure self preservation."

Releena glared at him through narrowed eyes. "You are no exception, General. By keeping your title and rank and exercising your military authority, you can easily gain control over mining imports to Earth from the Colonies. Thereby, through your relations with the Barton Foundation, controlling intercolonial commerce."

Bartkusonete smiled sardonically. "I've always admired your intelligence and intuition. Unfortunately, a person of your status can afford little or no mistakes. How tragic that one should have occurred so early in your career. Why, had you been present when the relief proclamation made its way to the stand, you might have stopped me. Yes, I have much to be thankful to you for. You see, you have made everything possible. The nobility will continue as before, trade and commerce will be mine, and there will no one capable of stopping me. I couldn't ask for more."

She curled her fingers into fists and her knuckles turned white as her nails dug into her palms. She fought to keep her voice steady as she answered him. "But your plan is incomplete. There is a missing piece in the puzzle and your elite forces will die off one by one."

He ground his teeth and quickly lashed out his hand, slapping her across the face. "That will not be the case for long."

Releena wiped the blood trailing from her mouth. "I won't let you turn him into a unfeeling monster like you tried to do to Heero! You underestimate us. People are stronger than you think. The power was in your hands when you had the gundams and their pilots. But your plan backfired. They stopped you then and they'll do it again."

He raised a brow. "I don't think that's an option anymore. But I'll tell you what. I'll allow you to correct your mistake." Bartkusonete stood and walked to the far end of the room, concealed in darkness. Slowly he made his way back towards the light.

She sucked in a breath when she saw what he was carrying and jumped to her feet. The chamber. 'No. No. No.' She shook her head in denial and shock. Her entire body began to shake as she glanced up into his face, half concealed by the shadows.

He set the chamber on the floor and placed a small square detonation device on it. He set the control and then strode to meet her. He took her hand and placed the switch in her palm. "End it, now. Correct your mistake and save the world. The only casualties will be me and you."

She stared at the object in her palm then shifted her eyes briefly. The holster at his side was unbuttoned. Blinking her eyes, she felt lightheaded and dizzy as if it were a nightmare. 'Was this really true? Oh, God.' She clenched her eyes shut. 'No. I can't.' Without a moment's hesitation she brought up her knee, kicking him in the groan and swiftly pulled the gun from his side and held it up to his chest.

"Very good, Miss Darlian." He chuckled through his strained voice.

Releena's eyes went wide as she felt the cold metal of the barrel of a gun placed against her temple.

"But not good enough." A familiar female voice rang through the silence.

__________________________________________________

Duo smiled at the baby asleep in his arms and shook his head. "Only a couple of months old and you're already given' everyone hell, kid. But, you know - your old man sure means a lot to me. I guess because once you strip away my good looks and sense of humor; we're not all that different. So until he gets back here, I'll take care of you as best I can." The baby tightened his grip around Duo's index finger and opened his bright blue eyes, letting out a long yawn.

Duo rose from his chair. "Yah, you're right. There couldn't be anything more boring!" The baby cooed in response and tugged on his braid. "Hey, no complaints from the peanut gallery, Yuy. For the moment you have it pretty easy! Yep. Eat, sleep, and poop. If I had a choice, I just might trade places with yah."

He walked out of the main hanger area into the locker room. He walked to the back to 2C and opened the door. "Alright! It's here!" He set the baby on the floor and carefully excavated an odd looking contraption that was stuffed in the locker along with weapons, food, and an extra set of clothes. It had antennae and wires hanging out all over the place. He set it on the bench in the isle and winked at the baby. "These were illegal when Solo and I built it. We were dying to find out what was going on in our sector." Duo shook his head. "We never figured the range would be so good!" He shook his head, remembering old days.

"Well anyway, let's see if we can pick up something, huh?" He put two oversized earphones over his ears and turned a few switches on the box. "Whoa…" There was so much activity, almost every channel had something on it. "Sheez…you'd think there was another war goin' on. They're all encoded! Damn! " He placed a hand over his mouth and then winked at the boy. "He he. Sorry 'bout that. Your mom'd wash my mouth out with soap for talkin' like that in front of you."

He frowned. Hmm…there had to be something he could do to read these messages. Mmm… He raised a brow, eyeing the other pilots' lockers. Aside from his obsession with his swords, Wu-man was a pretty smart guy and he always had some gadget or another. Sure enough, his locker was full of stuff – swords, a few paper scrolls, incense, some weird statue, his old preventors' jacket – ah-hah! "Yah! This is perfect!" He cried, snatching a small device from the bottom. He carefully attached it, connecting the two black and red wires.

His eyes widened as he listened to one transmission after another. "Hell, kid! We're in trouble!" He cried and threw off the headphones, quickly shoving them into his locker along with the box. He bit his lip. Damn! What was he gonna do with this kid? They had to get out there…but how was he gonna hide a baby?

"Argh!" He began ripping open the lockers one by one. First, Trowa's - hmm…some grenades, a picture of Cathy, a long range wrist laser canon –very cool- and…a 50 oz. can of mouse?! "Uh…ok."

Next, Heero's – mostly empty except for a jacket, an extra shirt, a few detonation switches - big surprise- and a few of the latest hand-gun models and cartridges. He grabbed the holster hanging from the hook and loaded two of the guns.

Then, Quatre's…"What the…" Hanging from a hook was a long powder blue skirt. "Err…" He looked at the baby. "Remind me to ask him about this later, ok?" Suddenly, an idea stuck him. This could work. He practically tore the skirt from the hanger and slipped it on over his pants.

___________________________________________

His hearing slowly began to fade in. Two voices were engaged in a heated conversation and they were not far. They sounded young.

___________________________________________

A girl with short red hair shook her head incredulously. "Liet! I can't find anything! No trace of chemicals. His cells - they're normal - no mutation at all!"

Liet's bangs fell in curls above her green eyes and she wore a gray space suit. A line creased her forehead as she frowned. It couldn't be. He was the one. "Check the levels again, 063! You must have missed it!"

The girl, 063, ran the scanner again. Normal. She turned to the screen with the blood analysis and shook her head. "The same. We must be missing something. We're running out of time! We need someone who knows what they're doing. We should contact the commander."

"No. We'll just be wasting time." Liet spun around and glared at the figure on the table. "How about we ask him?" She turned to the girl. "Can we?"

She was silent for a moment. "I'm not sure. We could give him a dose of clyzenodine. But…I don't know what it would do."

"Do it!"

"But, don't you think we should wait for orders?"

Liet narrowed her eyes and spun around, pointing with an accusing finger at the door. "There are 300 children that are about to die in the next twenty four hours if we don't find a way to help them. Once that's done, then we can worry about orders. Besides, I doubt the General will be happy if half of his forces were to die."

063, bit her lip and then nodded. She filled tube with a yellow tinted fluid and made her way toward the man. Just as she was about to inject him with the serum, his eyes flew open, the pupils desperately trying to focus. She gasped. "Liet! He's awake!"

'I knew it.' She thought. '01.' She strode over to him, leaning down. "Can you hear me?"

______________________________________

Heero struggled to speak, struggled to move, struggled to see…but it didn't matter. The pain was so unbearable. His world kept focusing in and out, colors fading from red back to black and white.

Liet frowned. "What's wrong with him? If he's awake, why doesn't he answer me?!"

063 stared at him in awe. "It's a miracle that he _is_ awake. The pain must be excruciating The dilectide injection was supposed to cause microseizures throughout his body. His brain would then cut off the intense pain by sending him into a coma - putting him into a perfect state for experimentation. I just can't believe that…"

"Enough already!" She shouted at the 14-year-old. "Just give it to him."

The girl nodded. "I'm sorry." She whispered to him as she removed the cover from the needle and put the injection into his right arm.

_______________________________________

Duo's feet hit the pavement hard as he landed 10 feet below the window of the locker room. Although, his face was encrusted in a thick layer of foundation and Sally's red lipstick had been applied rather crookedly, he had to admit that he hadn't done that badly of a job. He then quickly adjusted the straps of the bag on his back and took a quick look at the sleeping bundle in his arms. "Alright, Yuy. Here goes nothin'."

He took off running down a back street. Back alley to back alley - each were dark and strangely…empty. "I've got a really bad feeling about this." Suddenly, an explosion racked the ground. He turned and he saw what was the old abandoned shuttle hanger go up in smoke and flames. "Holy…" His voice trailed off and he took off running again. The hanger was only a good kilometer away. Those suicide units wouldn't be far behind. One thing was certain. He had to get the kid off of the colony.

______________________________________

He suddenly sat up, gasping for air. It took him a moment to gather his bearings, but his vision and inertia quickly returned. He felt…good…amazingly good. The pain was gone. He hadn't felt this way since….hmm. A girl no more than 13 or 14 years old was staring at him with wide brown eyes.

"How do you feel?" He turned to the owner of the voice. She was just a bit older, 15 – 16 at most. He stared at her, his eyes burning holes right through her. "Your name is Liet." He stated.

She raised a brow. "I'm the one asking the questions, not you. I'm not going to waste any time, so let's get straight to the point. I know who you are. You're 01. You underwent the first injections of clyzenodine, but suffered none of the side effects. I want to know why."

"I can't answer that."

His flat monotone voice angered her. "Look, don't think that you're going anywhere until you give me the information." She pulled out a laser pistol and held it up.

He didn't even flinch. "It doesn't matter. I can't answer you." He repeated. "Holding me here will not help your situation."

She whacked him across the face with the gun, reopening the wound on the right side of his face. "You lie! Tell me the truth! No one survives prolonged exposure to clyzenodine without cell mutation. Yours are normal! Now tell me why!"

Heero was silent for a moment analyzing the situation. The redhead was young and nervous - odd for someone who should be a trained soldier by now. The older one, while definitely more confidant, was angry. She'd lost her battle already, though she didn't realize it. "I said before - I can't tell you that. I don't know the reason. I'm a soldier not a scientist."

She struggled with her anger. 'Calm. Calm.' She kept repeating in her mind, but the moment he spoke the words she didn't want to hear, she cried out and lunged at him, wanting to kill him with her bear hands. If he didn't know, then he was useless. But he was quick - much quicker and he had her in a death lock before she could think.

"You've lost."

That flat monotone voice was grating her nerves. What kind of thing was he? Don't you get it?! We're all about to die!"

"You're afraid." He stated and let her go. "Then why are you still here?"

"Why?" She repeated bitterly. "Because in about 24 hours I'm about to die along with a good number of the others. The final effects of clyzenodine are about to kick in. It was supposed to mutate our cells so that we would be like you. Well, it mutated them all right. For the first few years, you feel incredible - almost invincible - like you're on a drug. But then the injections stop, giving the formula time to work. I only have but a few hundred healthy cells left. Once they're gone...that's it. I'm here because I have no where else to go! Who can help us?! No one! Out only hope for survival was to find you and our cure! Now do you understand?!"

"Liet! Look at this!" 063 cried from the computer terminal.

"What is it?!"

She pointed to the diagram of the compound and the DNA structure next to it on the screen. "Clyzenodine - it contains fractions of his DNA. It was meant to be compatible with him - never for us."

Liet stepped away from the monitor, her breaths close together. "But…the General…that means that he knew. He knew what would happen."

It all made sense. Dr. J had altered the chemical to work only with him so that there would be no others. But then…these new units… Heero strode over to the girl. "These suicide units. Tell me about them."

She didn't respond at first and he had to shake her. "The suicide units?" She shook her head. "They're still on their first two years, but…they're on a different version of clyzenodine. It's new. And they have implants that are stimulated by it. They're deadly…much more so than any of us, but…it slowly makes them go insane. It's like a game simulation that tells them what to do and how to win."

The Zero System. "How many suicide units are here?"

"About a hundred."

"Do they have mobile suits?"

She smiled. "Of course they do. We all do. That was the idea from the beginning. My number is 09. They brought me in just a year after you were sent on Operation Meteor. Eventually, we would each have had gundams like you and the other original four. We were supposed to be an elite force. One strong enough to control everything and stop any opposition."

"Can you distract the suicide units long enough for me to get out of here?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Why should I help you?"

"I don't know if I there's anything I can do for you, but I have to stop Bartkusonete. Or this will never end. There will be more than just a few hundred children. It will be thousands. He won't stop."

She was silent for a few moments. "All right."

"Liet!" 063 cried.

"We have to. There's no other way." She turned back to Heero. "But I'm coming with you. He's going to pay for he's done."

______________________________________

Releena dropped the gun to the floor and slowly shifted her eyes to meet the cool green ones of Commander Janez who had her mouth set in a crooked smirk. "You are far too caught up in your own little world - so far apart from reality. And now you're going to pay the price."

"Now, now. Don't be so quick." Barkusonete gently pushed the commander away. "There's no need for such violence in a holy place. Miss Darlian deserves a death worthy of her title and birthright. Besides, she still may be of some use."

"Just kill me here and now." Releena stated flatly, her eyes cold and hard.

Bartkusonete brought his face close to hers and chuckled. "Now why should I do that? Are you afraid, Releena Darlian? No. You're not. What is there left to be afraid of? Standing in the face of death really isn't that hard, is it? But watching your whole world collapse around you - yes. That is hard to swallow. Don't worry. I won't leave you in misery for long."

He circled her slowly, like a vulture waiting to devour its prey - knowing that its victim is about to perish. "I doubt this will add any pleasure to your outlook, but you have proved me correct. If all people appeared to be as you were - peace loving, unable to kill or destroy - then I would have had something to worry about. But…you're not that different. Your eyes betrayed you. Yes, you _were_ ready to kill me. It would have been interesting to see how that drama would have unfolded, but, alas, I have more important work to do. First, I have to take care of something." He turned to Janez who suddenly got a rather strange look in her eyes. With lightning speed Barkusonete retrieved a gun from inside his jacket pocket and shot Janez through the head. She still wore a shocked expression as her body hit the ground and stirred no more.

Releena's gasped and stood in shock. Her heart pounded in her chest and her ears were filled with swishing noise of her blood. She backed away, shaking her head, tears coursing down her cheeks.

"Now, now, Miss Darlian. Don't look so shocked." The smile slipped from his face and he motioned with the gun toward the chamber. "Go open it. I want you to hand him into my arms personally."

"I don't think that will be necessary." A cool voice spoke quietly. Bartkusonete whipped around, totally taken off guard. Right in front of the balcony, Trowa hung upside-down, his legs wrapped expertly in the coils of a thick rope and a gun in each hand. "Now, let her go."

Bartkusonte ground his teeth and pulled out a knife, as Releena quickly moved to the balcony's edge, but just as she was about to grab onto Trowa, the door to the stairwell burst open behind them and her brother along with Noin barreled through, weapons ready.

"Quick, Miss Releena." Trowa jerked around and did a few twists so that he was hanging upright. She quickly jumped into his arms and they slid down to the ground level. Trowa immediately took her arm and pulled her down the aisle, through the Apex, and out the entrance. Then he took off in a dead run. "Hurry." He said urgently as he felt her tug on his arm to stop.

"But, my brother, Noin! Oh my God, the chamber!"

"They'll be fine." He quickly reassured her. "And don't worry. He's safe." He said no more and pulled her forward. Just as they ran into a dark alley between two large skyscrapers, Releena turned her head as she heard rapid rounds of gunfire coming from the Cathedral.

"Have faith in them." Trowa called, but did not stop.

______________________________________

"Welcome Major Po, Major Chang. Please follow me." Rashied's deep voice bellowed at as he turned and led them to an elevator.

10 stories below, they disembarked into a large holding area. Each of the gundams stood tall with tons of mechanics and workers scurrying to complete them on time.

"Wufei, Sally!" Quatre called. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Wufei began immediately, "We would have been here sooner, but she just had to insist…"

Sally's eyes flashed. "If you want to get yourself killed then you go right ahead! Why can't you admit that I saved your butt back there?! You don't mess with suicide units!"

"Look, woman. I had everything under control until you…"

"Um…this really isn't the time for…"

Sally huffed and held her hand up to Wufei. "Quatre's right. We'll continue this later!" She spat and took Quatre's arm, stomping toward the center of the hanger - leaving Wufei to stutter behind them.

"Well, I have to admit - they look good."

"Thank you very much," said a familiar, raspy voice. She turned around. "Howard!" He stood with a wrench in hand, still wearing his flashy pink Hawaiian shirt.

"I should have known. After all, when Quatre does something, he does it right." She said glaring at Wufei, whose face had turned crimson with anger. But before he could say anything, one of the Maganacs rushed over. "Master Quatre! There's a secure call for you!"

"Oh, thank you, Abdul. I'll be right back."

Sally spied another familiar face, giving out orders and instructions to various crews. "Howard, isn't that…"

"Oh, yes - Dorothy Catalonia. She's been working with us from the start. I think it's done quite a bit for her. Quatre had asked for her assistance. I think he felt sorry for her - she was so lost after the war ended."

Wufei snorted. "Well, I wouldn't have trusted such a conniving…"

Sally abruptly cut him off. "Yes. We know what you think of all women."

"Now just wait a moment! In the proper situation, a woman can be a great asset."

She raised a brow. "Oh? You mean like before when I saved your life?"

Once again Wufei was spared from answering as Quatre ran towards them. "Hurry! We have to get the gundams to the Moon. We're going to meet Trowa and Heero! I've heard from them both!"

"Hmm…we just have one problem." Howard said, scratching his chin. "We're a pilot short and shipping out mobile suit carriers or shuttles, is out of the question."

"What about Rahied?" Wufei asked.

Quatre shook his head. "No. They have to stay here. This place has to remain secure, especially if we're going to be keeping the gundams for a while."

"Then where are we going to find a suitable pilot - let alone one who can be trusted?"

Suddenly Sally smiled, eyeing Wufei. "I have an idea."

______________________________________

To be continued…

::sigh:: I hope you liked this. I know there wasn't any mushy stuff, but I do have to develop my plot. I worked really hard on the action scenes, so I'm praying that it wasn't too boring! Anyway, let me know if it was okay.

I'm thinking that this story will either have one or two more chapters and an epilogue. I'm going to try really hard to have the next chapter out soon. But…with the end of classes, comes work…*sigh* Gotta pay for books for the next semester! Ick.

   [1]: http://www.geocities.com/save_releena



	4. Human Nature: Chapter 7

Hi all!!! This is a REALLY long chapter!! And there's only chapter 8 and the epilogue to go! I did use some French in this chapter. I don't speak it, so please don't flame me if things aren't quite correct. I did my best. This chapter covers Wufei and Sally's relationship a little more and, of course, for all those who have been waiting…we get to see what happens with Heero and Releena. I love getting comments and suggestions. Plus, it's really nice to hear from other GW fans!! So, please let me know what you think!

New Mobile Report Gundam Wing belongs to the Sotsu Agency, Sunrise and Fuji TV. I claim no rights upon the characters or their respective personalities.

Human Nature

A Fanfic by Goddess Moon - goddessmoon1@hotmail.com

Chapter 7

Year: A. C. 198

__________________________________

Trowa took a deep breath and leaned his head back against the wall. They were fast and they always remained unseen. If it weren't for the red laser target identifiers and the sounds of explosions trailing them, it was impossible to know where they were.

Releena looked up at him expectantly. "Well, what did he say?"

He kept his eyes averted. She would not be very happy to learn about the gundams. "Quatre'll meet us on the moon along with the others." Trowa frowned glancing at their surroundings. They stood in a dark alley, just across from the well-lit capitol building with the words _Coloniaux Bureaux De Gouvernement_ clearly displayed in front. It was going to be nearly impossible to enter the building undetected. He could do it if he were alone, but with another…

Releena followed his line of vision. "Trowa, we can't go in there." She whispered urgently.

"It's our best option at the moment. Lady Une can get us a shuttle - no questions asked. Stealing one at the port would alert both security and the suicide units. We wouldn't make it very far."

"Genot lives in that building! If he finds any reason to believe that Lady Une is conducting a covert operation under his nose, it will start another war! We can't endanger her position at this point. We have to do this on our own."

"He's only looking for an excuse, Miss Releena. The scapegoat will either be Lady Une or you."

"Me?!"

"Yes. You would be the first choice. You've been absent from cabinet sessions for almost a year. And one day you're found in the government capitol of colonies with security clearance to access almost any amount of information. That scenario can lead to a lot of negative conclusions."

She grabbed onto his arm, impulsively. "So why risk it? If I'm found here, I won't be able to defend myself. We have to get back to Earth. If Genot is truly a part of this, then he will be revealed before all the cabinet members in a public session. No one would dare put themselves at risk to defend him under such an accusation."

"It will keep him quiet for a while, but it will not solve the problem. We need to go to the moon and destroy any MS production that's going on. But by doing that, we're destroying the evidence. Everything that Bartkusonete has touched must be destroyed." He stood silently for a moment, thinking about his next move, before another blast shook the ground and a 10-story building collapsed just a few blocks away. The sounds of sirens of both the police force and the fire department seemed to be coming from all directions. Trowa nodded slightly and turned to face her. "All right. We'll do it your way. Let's see if we can get on a regular passenger shuttle at the spaceport."

"But that could take hours!"

He ignored her outburst, his mind racing though various options. His eyes fell on another building right next to government headquarters - Première Banque Coloniale et Interstellaire Commercial Centre. "Money…" He whispered under his breath. "Releena, do you have any currency kept on the colonies?" He asked her urgently.

She bit her lip. It had been a while since she had reviewed her personal finances. "Yes, I think so. But…I'm not sure where. Most of it is held under the Peacecraft name. But…even still…I don't have the ident-chips that unlock the accounts."

"What about under Darlian?"

"Well, yes, but that's done through a palm scan. Anyone monitoring the system will know."

His eyes suddenly widened and he took her hand in his own and began running back down the alley. "Don't look back and don't stop!" Trowa called back to her, just as a target identifier made its mark on the back of his head.

_________________________________

Gaston LeGuarde watched carefully as each person passed through the security gate. The recent explosions occurring throughout the colony were causing terror and panic among the public and had left the entire spaceport security on the highest level of alert. Several districts were being evacuated by order of the Governor. He glanced at his comrade standing next to him. "Jean Claude, do you think it's another terrorist organization?"

Jean Claude Dédié answered, while keeping his sharp eyes fixed firmly on the crowd. "Most likely. Good things generally don't last for too long. Our freedom and peace were bound to come to an end sometime or another."

"True, but it has only been a year! What are those lazy aristocratiques imbéciles1 thinking? If we are being attacked, where are the Preventors? Where are these infamous warriors who are supposed to protect us? If they will not help us then I say we fight them ourselves!"

"Calm down, Gaston! The bombings only started a few hours ago! We have to give them time!"

"Their time is costing the lives of our people! We should run them off. They are not needed here! What we need is our own military!"

For the first time, Jean Claude let his gaze travel from the crowd to his friend and he turned piercing gray eyes on him. "Do not be so quick to put an end to peace. Don't reject those who fight for us simply because they are from Earth. If it costs my life, so be it. I, for one, would rather die here at home then in a cold, heartless battle in space."

Gaston was about to argue when a rather…strange looking woman caught his attention. "Gah! Quelles horreurs!2 That is the ugliest woman I've ever seen in my life!" Both he and Jean Claude stared.

Wrapped in a rather ratty looking dingy towel, the baby sucked on his fingers watching, with wide eyes, all the people around him while, in a very unladylike manner, Duo scratched the top of his head. His thick heavy-duty black boots awkwardly stuck out from the bottom of the long powder-blue pleated skirt. The Preventors patch and rank insignia had been ripped from Wufei's old black and green jacket. It was a bit tight especially in the arms, but he had to keep the sleeves rolled down. A chic with very hairy arms - now that would be really scary! And how they put up with wearing make-up was beyond him. The thick layer of foundation he had put on was literally dripping from his face along with beads of sweat.

He didn't really have time to care about his appearance. How in the heck was he gonna get past the metal detectors with all the ammo he was carrying? He hadn't planned on the spaceport being so packed - there were thousands of refugees fleeing the colony and security was beefed up to the max. Somehow he needed to catch a shuttle to the moon. Lady Une had a small, secret Preventors base hidden in the middle of the shopping district.

His eyes suddenly went wide as he noticed a burly security officer coming his way. His gut hung well over his belt, supported by thin toothpick legs. When he smiled, Duo's eyes widened even further - he was missing a few teeth.

Gaston snickered. "It looks like Louis has finally found a woman!"

"No woman deserves that!" Jean Claude shook his head and sighed. "He really isn't a bad fellow. He's just in terrible need of a bath. I don't understand why the Captain refuses to speak with him…"

Duo clenched his fist as Louis Saindoux took his free hand in his and kissed the back of it. Who was this idiot? Any more 'friendly' gestures and he'd knock him into next week!

"Bonjour Madame. Vous avez un si beau bébé!3 Please, tell me - how I can assist you?"

Duo grimaced. For as much as he wanted to knock the ox into next century, he could use this to his advantage. 'Damn it, Heero! You owe me big time!!' He tried his best to giggle and talk in his most feminine voice, which sounded more like a strangled cat. "Oh thank you! I need to board a flight to the moon. My sister lives there and I know she'll take us both in."

"Mais naturellement!4 My I ask your name, my lovely flower?"

He mumbled a few choice words under his breath before attempting to giggle once again. Now what name did he put on that stupid ID card?! The citizens of L4 spoke a variety of languages. And since Hilde threw around a few choice German words every now and then, he figured 'what the heck.' "Um…it's…Umsponnener…" He trailed off for a moment. "Hauch." He suddenly cried.

Louis stared blankly for a moment and then broke out his awful smile. "A braided puff - well it suits you for…you have…a lovely long braid and your…skin…is smooth and soft just like… a puffy cloud."

If it had been anyone else, Duo would have been rolling on the floor with laughter. But…circumstances being what they were, he didn't find it the least bit funny. 'A braided puff?! That's what she'd been calling him all this time?! I'm gonna have a long talk with her about that… And sheez! Heero could probably spout better poetry!' He whipped out the ID card with his hair and Hilde's face. "Err…please, kind sir…I really need to get to the moon as quickly as possible." He plastered on a fake smile and winked.

Saindoux's eyebrows raised in surprise and he smiled broadly. "Come with me, Madame and I will personally escort you to your shuttle."

"Oh thank you." Duo's eyes went impossibly wide as he felt the man pinch his backside. But before he could react, Louis' arm came around his shoulder and he got a fresh wiff of full flown body odor, nearly choking him.

From their posts Jean Claude and Gaston were busting with laughter. "The poor woman! Her face is turning green!"

"Oh no, it's the child I pity. What if they do end up getting married?!" They broke into a new round of laughter, the force of it so hard, their sides began to ache.

*******French Translations********

  1. aristocratiques imbécilesare stupid or idiotic aristocrats.
  2. Quelles horreurs means 'what horrors!'
  3. Bonjour Madame. Vous avez un si beau bébé! - Hello Madam. What a beautiful baby!
  4. Mais naturellement! - Why naturally!

_________________________________

Sally stood in front of the elevator with Wufei, watching him intently from the corner of her eye. She smiled wickedly – she couldn't wait for him to see who'd she'd asked to pilot Deathscythe. She already had a list of things to rake him out with.

As the doors opened, a smiling Hilde Schpiker emerged in her old purple spacesuit, holding a helmet under her right arm. She flashed a giant smile at them and then turned to take a good look at Deathscythe. "So this is the chariot of the god of death, eh?"

Sally smiled and stood next to her. "That's right. Sorry for dragging you into this, but…it's hard to find trustworthy help now-a-days."

"Oh, I don't mind at all. In fact, I've always wondered what it would be like to pilot a gundam - especially Duo's!" Although she cringed at what Duo would say after she promised to stay behind. It was always so important to him that she not get involved. But she was desperate for any information about him. Since the time the war ended he would not talk about what happened before 195. Getting anything out of him was worse than pulling teeth. Of course, he always seemed cheerful. But there were moments when the laughter and mirth were missing from his eyes, despite smiles he gave so easily. Now she would get the chance to walk in his shoes - to control and pilot one of the most dangerous weapons ever created - to hold the lives of both the guilty and the innocent in the palm of her hand. That last thought stuck in her mind and the smile she had worn quickly faded as she continued to stare at the colossal structure with haunted eyes. Did she really want to face that?

Wufei watched her silently, keeping his face void of emotion and his arms crossed in front of him. "It isn't going to be easy. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Sally glanced at Wufei, a troubled expression marring her pretty features. There was no tone of contempt or conceit and he did seem at least somewhat concerned for the girl's welfare.

Emerging from her dark thoughts, Hilde shrugged. "Yah. I wasn't expecting it to be a piece of cake. But I have piloted a mobile suit before if that's what you're worried about." Her smile returned quickly, lifting the tension. "But no matter what, the look on Duo's face will be well worth it!"

He almost smirked at that. Yes, the look on the braided idiot's face was something he definitely wouldn't want to miss. But there were larger problems - her ability to actually pilot this particular gundam was in question - physically and emotionally. Wufei shook his head. "That's not the problem. Duo is left-handed. The new control devices were constructed with that in mind. All of the gages and the weapons consul are on the right. The strongest arm is required for maneuvering and operating the twin beam scythe, while the other can perform minor functions."

She glanced at her right hand and tightened it into a fist. She looked back up at Wufei, determination filling her eyes. "This is something I need to do. I can do it."

He was silent for a moment and then nodded. She quickly turned around and began to make her way towards the machine that could perhaps answer some of her questions.

Sally stood in quiet amazement and wonder and for the first time she was speechless when Wufei met her gaze. "If the gundams fall under attack, she may not survive. Never-the-less, she will die with honor."

Sally could feel her anger building inside and almost made a comment, but she held back, and suddenly it faded. What was is that made Hilde worthy in his eyes? He gave his respect and approval so sparingly, yet this girl, whom he barely knew, had it. Her shoulders visibly sagged.

Wufei noticed her movements, but decided against pointing it out. Now was not the time to aggravate the woman - she was quite a formidable opponent when enraged and that seemed to happen more often that not. Still…entering a battle with warring emotions could only lead to negative consequences and he was sure their approach to the moon would not be uneventful.

The tension between them was thick as they stood staring at one another for a moment. Quatre called them over, breaking the silence. "Everything's just about set. Hilde's strapped in and ready to go and Dorothy is finishing the last pre-flight checks on Sandrock."

Wufei lifted a brow. "She's piloting _your_ gundam?"

He nodded. "Don't worry so much. I trust her - she's come a long way and I think she'll do fine."

Wufei crossed his arms and grimaced. An emotionally and perhaps mentally unstable person was about to pilot a gundam. Dorothy Catalonia tended to get caught up in the moment and dramatize things. They didn't need a philosopher or a dreamer - they needed a good pilot. Ah well. It's his machine he's risking. "You'll be piloting Wing Zero then?

Quatre visibly cringed and let out a long sigh. "Yes."

"Ok, people, get going. All the pre-flight checks are complete." Howard called from the scaffolding around Wing Zero.

Sally nodded. "This is it."

__________________________________

The room was dark and empty save the lights coming from the MS simulation chamber. Inside, Liet pulled on the control throttle will all her might. "I'm loosing it!" She grit through her teeth. Finally she let go, and a red light flashed across the screen in front of her. "Damn it!"

Heero almost shook his head. This was not good - she barely had the strength to control a mere simulation test. He moved back to the command screen and began entering a new sequence of events. "Do it again." He instructed.

Her hands tightened into fists. "I still don't understand the point of this!" Liet complained, "We're wasting time!"

Heero ignored her comment and readjusted the controls in the simulator. "Don't be impatient. It'll get you killed. Take your time and get this right. We're not leaving until you do."

She pounded her fist on the controls. "Don't you get it?! I don't have the strength anymore! The clyzenodine has completely worn off!"

He stopped and stared at her intently for a moment, watching the emotions spread across her face - anger, hatred, regret, sorrow. "Don't think so much. Forget about what you can't do. Concentrate on your mission. Nothing else matters."

She narrowed her eyes. "Unfeeling monster!" She spit out. She cried out, struggling to get free of the safety harness and lunge at him. "We're all going to die! I don't want to die!"

He caught her wrists and held them firmly. "Then survive. But the only way you're going to do so is if you get past Bartkusonete. Those suicide units are going to be a tough enemy to defeat. If you can do that, there's someone who's going to meet us at our destination. She may be able to help you. But first, we have to get past them."

"They'll be piloting space Tauruses same as us. And aside from the implants they're not that different from the rest of us."

Heero shook his head grimly. "Yes, they are. During the first few injections, Clyzenodine increases the amount of stimulant that the brain releases in order to deal with fear. Right now, they fear…nothing. They will show no pity, no remorse, no pain. Their sole focus is their mission. That's why it was so easy to keep you here during the first few months of your injections. After that when the fear returned, it was so great that you couldn't leave."

Liet stared at him, her eyes boring holes into his head. "Did it do that to you just now? You don't seem any different."

"No." He turned around and began typing in commands to reset the simulation.

She frowned, finding his answer inadequate and unsettling. Her eyes turned glassy and her voice wistful. "I wonder what I'll do if I survive this." After a moment, she looked at him. "How do you live? What do you do?" Immediately, the muscles in his back tensed, though he kept typing. Obviously the question made him uncomfortable. It was, to say the least, disconcerting. He was A-prime, number 1 - the perfect subject. If he couldn't get past what had happened to him, how could she?

Finally he answered. His voice was still monotone, as always, but there was a certain soft edge to it that hadn't been present before. "You're the only one who can decide that. But that's long run. Right now you're goal is to live. To do that you have to fight - and fight to win."

She stared at him a moment longer. 'I'm strong enough to do it!' She told herself. 'Even if…even if I don't make it, I can help the others.' With new-found determination, she placed her hands on the control, and nodded confidently to Heero. "I'm ready. Let's do it again."

Heero nodded and reset the simulation, but her questions still troubled him. He couldn't move on - he'd told himself that many times. He was asked to fight and hunt down one mad-man after another - one more mission, one more possible kill. He hadn't had to in over two years, but still that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach remained - that he would and could again. Fear of what you are makes the future uncertain. Exactly what was he? There wasn't anyone who could answer that. He didn't feel quite like a normal person. But then, what was normal? Emotions were so confusing.

From the very beginning, Releena made him feel things - things he hadn't felt before, things he wasn't supposed to feel…well, at least…he didn't think so. Coming to Earth proved to be the most difficult part of his life - so many decisions. 'Act on your emotions.' Yes, but act on them as long as you can control them - then the outcome can be, with little margin of error, predicted. Control…that was something he lost so quickly in her presence. It he lost control so easily over that, what would be next? The exact same thing that drew him in pushed him away. Every time he faced her, he felt ashamed, weak. His indecision and weakness had already cost her so much. He blinked. This was not the time for such thoughts. He watched Liet's moves and reaction time on the screen. She was doing well, very well. 'Yes. She's ready…but…am I?'

__________________________________

Duo released his breath as he flopped into the seat. What a nightmare! The shuttle was stuffed way beyond capacity! He could hardly move! It would be a miracle if they reached the moon within 5 or 6 hours!

He shook his head as he looked down at the baby in his lap, gurgling and tugging on his feet. "I sure hope things are better for you when you're older, Yuy. War ain't pretty. You shouldn't have to live through that."

__________________________________

Releena nervously clutched onto Trowa's sleeve and gulped as she watched the hoards of guards standing at various stations in the docking bay. "Are you sure about this?"

He nodded, his green eyes suddenly comforting. "Yes. We just need the right…" He trailed off, examining each of the guards one by one. "There." He nodded toward a very overweight, bald man with the shirt of his uniform hanging out on the side. He was standing with a glassy look to his eyes and a broad smile.

Saindoux stood happily, watching as each passenger climbed up the ramp to the bay doors of the shuttle. He couldn't believe his fortune! No, she wasn't a pretty woman, but she seemed nice and he did like children. Why, she had even given him her sister's address! As soon as this whole ordeal was over, he would soon be making a trip to the moon! All he had to figure out was how to approach the captain for an advance on his pay…

Trowa had his arm about Releena's waist as they casually walked toward the ramp. Her breath caught in her throat as the burly guard stopped them. "May I see your boarding pass?"

"We don't have any." Trowa calmly replied.

Louis' eyes went wide. "Well, then, you're not going to board this flight, are you?" He replied rather sarcastically, before he turned to call for help.

Trowa quickly grabbed his wrist. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. We can make it worth your while."

Saindoux warily watched the strong, young man in front of him. The grip on his wrist was like iron and the look in his eyes could be likened to the gaze of a lion. It was then that he noticed traces of a well-concealed weapon just inside the young man's jacket. Beads of sweat began to appear on his brow and he prayed that nothing would happen. Merciful heavens! What if they were terrorists?! What if they were the ones responsible for all this damage?!

Releena could see the sheer panic forming on the man's countenance. She stepped close to him. At first she recoiled from the smell, but stood her ground. Placing a hand on his forearm, she used a calm and soothing voice. "Please, sir. It is vital that we get to the moon. We cannot explain our reasons nor justify our need for a quick departure at this time. But I can assure you that we are not the ones responsible for all this damage. In fact, we're currently involved in trying to resolve this conflict. Please."

Louis remained quiet for a moment. "Je ne sais pas.5 Tell me who you are." He pulled out a thumb-print pad from his belt and held it out to her. Despite the warning glance from Trowa, she placed her thumb on the pad. Saindoux watched in amazement as her name appeared on the small screen. " Mon Dieu!6 Vice Foreign…"

"No!" She whispered desperately. "Please. You mustn't reveal us!"

He nodded weakly and Trowa released his grip on his wrist. " Veuillez me pardonner!7

Vice Foreign Minister, I apologize, I…"

She shook her head. "It's alright. Please just help us get onto the shuttle."

"I would…but…it's filled beyond capacity. The only room is the cargo hold with no air or temperature regulation.

"That's alright. Take us there." Trowa replied.

Releena looked at him questioningly and began to protest, "But…"

"It's fine. There are always oxygen tanks and space suits kept in cargo holds. It will be cold, but safe."

"Alright. Follow me."

As soon as they were secure in the hold, Saindoux bid them farewell. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help you, Madam. But I am a simple man with a simple life…and…a simple head, I'm afraid."

Releena smiled in return. "You have a large heart that wants to do the right thing - that's what really matters. No decent, loving person would want a war. Do you have a transmit device?"

"Oh, of course!" He unstrapped the small, hand-held device from his belt and placed it in her hand. Releena quickly did a thumbprint scan and clicked a few buttons on the touch screen. Once she was finished, she turned the power off and gave it back. "I can't thank you enough."

Saindoux smiled and swelled with pride as he watched the shuttle take off from the docking bay. It wasn't everyday you got to meet the former Queen of the World - the very symbol of peace itself! No, he wasn't able to do much, but if he had in some way helped to further the cause of peace, that was more enough. Suddenly his transmit device began to beep. He took it from his belt and activated the message retrieval. He almost fainted as he read the statement from the latest transferal of funds to his account. He broke out his crooked smile and stars lighted his eyes. "Un cadeau de ciel ci-dessus!8 I'm coming, my lovely flower!"

*******French Translations********

  5. Je ne sais pas. - I don't know.
  6. Mon Dieu! - My God!
  7. Veuillez me pardonner! - Please forgive me!
  8. Un cadeau de ciel ci-dessus! - A gift from the heavens!

__________________________________

"Hold tight. We're getting close." Quatre stated through the com.

"We're a bit far out. Do you really think they'll come so far? At this range, they'll be visible to all satellite and infrared detection systems." Dorothy asked.

"Maybe, but we're not taking any chances." Quatre answered.

Wufei snorted, "Those who have mobile suits will either be too small of a force or cowards who won't risk their precious political careers."

Sally rolled her eyes. 'Here we go again.' "Wufei, is it really necessary that you…" Suddenlty a target 'blip' appeared on Heavyarms' tracking screen, followed by another and another and another. "Hey, are you seeing what I'm seeing?!"

"Yes!" Quatre called as they came into visible range. There were a few hundred Tauruses - possibly estimated to about 60 to 70 suits per gundam. Using the twin buster rifle could eliminate them quickly, but at a range of only 300 kilometers from the moon, it was risky.

Hilde gasped and broke into his thoughts. "Are those _civilian_ shuttles behind them?!"

Dorothy quickly analyzed the situation, her brain working like lightning. "Yes, they are. It's a perfect plan. We can't engage them in combat so close. Yet to fall back now would be to give up the strategic advantage in backing them towards a gravitational orbit. They're using them as a sort of shield."

"It's too late to worry about what we don't have." Sally piped in. "I'm going to create a diversion." She swung heavy arms around, turning to face the sun, and put the thrusters into full gear.

"Are you insane, woman?!" Wufei cried out, the worry in his voice unconsciously outweighing his anger at her foolish stupidity.

Quatre sighed. He hadn't expected this. Wufei would definitely not miss the chance to take matters into his own hands, but Sally? Either they were spending too much time together or trouble was brewing. They should be sticking together and working as a team. No use in trying to undo what was already done. Besides, it was working. "Quick everyone! Follow Sally. If we can draw them out a further in that direction, they'll be facing the sun and I may be able to use the buster rifle."

Wufei wasn't paying close attention to Quatre's words. He was already on his way to intercept her. Heavyarms abruptly switched on the reverse engines, fired the manuevering verniers and turned around to face the oncoming battle, beam gatling barrels raised and ready.

Wufei grit his teeth and did the same, taking a firm hold on the control for the double-ended beam trident. He figured they had about a minute before heavy combat ensued and he was going to speak his peace. He set up a direct link with Heavyarms, and his voice boomed through Sally's com. "Why do must you always do that?!"

"It's not like you haven't ran off and done anything _really_ foolish! If I remember correctly, _someone_ even joined the _wrong_ side!" Sally bit out.

"I had my reasons!"

"Yes! You're infallible sense of justice and honor!! How can I forget?! Do you know how much trouble we could have avoided if you'd helped from the beginning?!"

"If you thought my values so twisted, why did you ask me to work with you in the first place?!" He cried incredulously. Did she pity him?! Did she think him so weak that he could no longer fight without her supervision?! 'No.' He immediately suppressed his anger. This argument was not addressing the issue he wanted to discuss. He would not be sidetracked.

No. No. No. She didn't want to shake his confidence or put him down! This wasn't what she wanted to happen! "I never thought there was anything wrong with your values - only your attitude! Why can't you treat me like an equal?! You can't even call me by my name!"

"When you can accept yourself for who and what you are, then I will treat you differently! Whether you admit it or not, you are a woman! Sally is a feminine name, isn't it?! You always have something to prove! You can fight and you fight as a soldier! I know that and I admit it! But that isn't enough, is it?! When will you stop?! You have to prove to the world that you are the equal of a man. Is this what you want for the rest of you're life?! There are other things! But if you want to continue this way, don't be a coward - tell me now! Other than that…I can't promise equals…" He paused and took a deep breath, gritting out the last few words, "but I would make the effort to try."

Sally sat in the cockpit in shock, her jaw nearly touching the floor. It was too much. All the things he said were swirling, jumbled in her head. What did all that mean?! What was he getting at?! But she had no time to think as the Tauruses began to engage them.

The firepower was heavy with bursts of light and explosions at every turn. It was so hard to control the twin beam scythe, but Hilde was determined. Truth be told, she had never been in a battle this intense before. There were so many of them!

Quatre managed to glance at each of the other gundams even though it was difficult. The Tauruses were so fast! The Mobile Doll lines in the battle with Libra were a piece of cake compared to these units. Suicide Units - they were correctly named - no fear of death, no hesitation what-so-ever. Dorothy was holding her own for the moment. He managed a smile. He was proud of his new friend. She had been so depressed and lost. He was glad he was able to help her. He watched Deathscythe's twin beam saber slice through the gut of one M.S. She was doing well, but her timing was just a bit slow and he was worried. She would only be able to fight like that for so long. The weight of the controls were hard to get used to and Hilde didn't have her muscles already trained for such a burden. He had to find a way to get her out of there. "Sally, how's your ammunition holding out?" He called.

"I'm getting low. I'll have to switch to the beam gatling soon!"

Quatre took in the landscape. They were surrounded and still too close to moon for the beam buster rifle. Somehow, he needed to create a hole for Sally and Hilde to make it past. He activated the pop-up machine cannons on Zero's shoulders, and hit the forward thrusters. He got about halfway through when he ran out of ammo and immediately broke out the beam saber, slashing through Tauruses like hot butter. It was thick and intense at first, but after a few minute the ranks began to thin out. Quatre furrowed his brow in confusion. He hadn't hit that many. What was going on?

Wufei was having similar thoughts as he turned the Altron around. Why, they were heading back to the moon! He made a move to follow them, when Quatre called out.

"No. Let them go. Dorothy, can you track them?"

"Of course."

"They're leaving?!" Sally asked incredulously. "But…why?! We weren't winning!"

Dorothy raised a brow. "Refueling, perhaps?"

"It makes sense." Quatre nodded his head. "Sally, take Heavyarms to base and see if you can reload. Hilde, can you cover her back?"

"Sure thing."

"Alright. Wufei, Dorothy, and I will stay here and keep watch."

__________________________________

Liet let out the breath she had been holding. They had blended in perfectly with the other shuttles and had landed without any difficulties. The man next to her - Heero Yuy- he was just too quiet and didn't look at her once. She was nervous and uncomfortable, having no idea what their next move was. They were going after Barkusonete's special M.S. production facility and that's all she knew. Liet had asked about the details earlier, but as usual received no answer. She wandered if he was deep in thought or just ignoring her. The next thing she knew, a space suit, helmet, and other gear made for weightless, non-atmospheric terrain were roughly shoved into her arms. She looked up at him questioningly.

"We're going through the air ducts. When we reach the main generator, we'll have access to the outside. We're not going through the tunnels."

"But…isn't that dangerous?! We may never make it!"

Heero didn't answer her as he began to put on the suit over his clothes. Before placing on his helmet, he said, "Too many check-points." He then turned around and crawled through the vent.

__________________________________

Trowa was literally dragging Releena through the hoards of people at the Lunar Spaceport. She resisted, digging her heels into the floor beneath her. He stopped, holding her arms, shaking her slightly. "Miss Releena, we have to keep going! We can't draw any unnecessary attention!"

Tears streamed down her cheeks. "But I saw him! I know I did! You have to believe me!" She begged.

Trowa frowned. He had seen a rather obscure woman carrying a small bundle, but he wasn't able to clearly identify the baby or get a good look at the woman. For some strange reason, she seemed to remind him of Duo. That thought was…just…disturbing. Hmm…perhaps it was the long braid.

"Please, Trowa!"

He remained silent for a moment before relenting and nodded.

Releena quickly wiped away her tears. She didn't care if the world saw her weak or crying. Her baby was more important. It was him - she knew it! She could feel it in her bones that she was right.

Trowa didn't waste any time and pulled her into a corner just outside the main terminal. From there they could watch all refugees making their way from the disembarkment area.

Releena held her breath and stood scanning the crowds frantically for any signs of the odd woman she had seen. No one! She closed her eyes. 'Please. Oh, please God!' She opened them and searched the faces once again. On impulse she looked in the opposite direction. There! Just about to enter an obscure exit door that looked like a 'personnel only' area was the woman! She yanked off Trowa's grip on her arm with surprising force and ran with all her might toward the exit. She pushed open the door but it was pitch black inside. Releena desperately tried to see through the shadows when she once again came face to face with the barrel of a gun.

Duo squinted in the darkness- his eyes hadn't yet adjusted as he was having a hard time trying to see just who had followed him. Suddenly another figure appeared in the doorway, weapon drawn and ready. Duo started, he would know that hairdo anywhere! "Trowa?!" He called out, surprised.

"Duo." Trowa immediately returned.

Duo quickly pulled the woman and Trowa in, shutting the door behind him. He reached for a light switch and the stairwell was filled with light. Before he could react, Releena let out a mewl of distress and swiped the baby from his arms.

She was laughing and crying at once. Tears poured from her eyes and she hugged and kissed her son over and over. After a moment, the laughter died and she leaned against the wall, slowly sinking down to the floor as sobs racked her body.

Meanwhile, Trowa was staring at Duo with a strange expression on his face. Before Duo could say one word, he broke out into hysterical laughter. Now, it was rare for Trowa to even crack a smile and even rarer still to hear him laugh.

Duo grimaced. This had been a day from hell! Once again he found himself the butt of all the jokes and he was not enjoying it one bit. He quickly ripped off the skirt and extracted a handkerchief from his back pocket, desperately wiping the remains of the make-up off of his face. 'Damn it all!' He thought as he watched Trowa in the throws of hysterical laughter. 'I've always been able to laugh at myself, and I'll be damned if I stop now!' He broke out into a smile and chuckled a bit. After all, he had made it with both himself and the kid in once piece and as an added bonus, he'd gotten Trowa to laugh - real laughter. That was something he'd been trying to do for two years.

Suddenly, Trowa's laughter ceased and his face returned to its stoic self. He turned to Duo. "We need to get going."

For his part, Duo stood with his jaw to the floor and then rolled his eyes. He spent way too much time around people who were dysfunctional in the department of emotions. Her glanced at Releena. She had stopped sobbing, but her tears continued to fall from her closed eyes. She was smiling and whispering into her baby's ears, who was happily playing with her hair.

"Hey, 'lena! Long time no see!"

Her eyes flew open at Duo's outburst and immediately she was on her feet. She caught him in as tight a hug as holding a baby in her arms would allow. "Thank you, so much! I don't know how I can ever…"

Duo smiled and shrugged. "What're friends for?" When she didn't break the hug, he noticed how tightly she was holding onto his shirt. "Hey, you ok?"

She quickly stepped away and wiped away her tears, smiling slightly. She nodded.

"A'right. Let's get goin' then!"

__________________________________

Sally and Hilde went as fast as they could with jetpacks on their backs. It was ridiculous to think that they could land unnoticed with such an incredibly large machine. The fact that it wasn't just any old mobile suit, but a gundam was bound to attract even more attention.

The sooner they could return with a crew of mechanics the better. They had landed quite a distance from the main districts - out in the barren flat lands. It had taken them a good ten minutes to reach the outer edges of the shopping district and another five to locate the false panels for what could have been a ventilation system, but actually led to an underground entrance to the base.

Once they had passed through all the security checks, Sally immediately ordered a crew to be sent out to service the two gundams and re-arm the Heavyarms as soon as possible. It was going to be difficult with weightless conditions, but they had no choice. Neither Sally nor Hilde could do anything to help, so they waited.

Sally sipped a hot cup of coffee as she stared out the window into space. For the first time she was able to think about what happened just before the battle. They always argued - that in itself was nothing new. But this time was different. She had always believed that Wufei thought her weak simply because she was a woman. And he most likely did when he first met her. In a way, she couldn't blame him. She had heard stories of how closely the ones who left China for the colonies stuck to the 'old ways.'

Sally smiled sorrowfully. Her father had been that way. She often blamed herself for his heart attack. It happened shortly after she left. She didn't find out until almost a year later since she had been in training at the time. Most of the young, 'independent' women were leaving their homes and either going to military training or just…leaving. He had pleaded with her to stay home and care for them as a proper daughter would. But she had had bigger plans. Her mother followed her father into the grave not long after. She had dishonored her family and brought shame upon the father who thought it to be one of the most important things in life.

Perhaps that was why she was drawn to Wufei. He was…home - all the things she thought she had left behind. And here she was rebelling again. But…he accepted me. I don't know when and I don't know why. He accepts what I've become and all that I've done, but he wants more. And he's right in wanting it.

Ever since she left, Sally wanted to prove herself the equal of a man, thereby proving her father wrong. And in doing so, she'd given up so much. There was no room in the life of a soldier for little things - she loved the traditional gardens surrounding her parents' home and the peace of sewing and embroidering flowers and making little trinkets to serve with tea - all such trivial things. She had thought them repulsive at one time, but…after her first battle in the rebellion against OZ, all that changed.

But she had no time to dwell upon such things. Now she had a reputation to uphold and units to command. There was no room for tears or sorrows or…much of anything. Her life was missing those things. And those underneath her expected her to have a will of iron.

In truth…Wufei was right. She never truly would be happy until she accepted all of herself - her past and the present. 'Damn! I hate it when he's right!'

> > "I can't promise equals…but I would make the effort to try."

Yes. And then…maybe she could accept him too despite his shortcomings.

"Major Po?"

Sally turned around to see a young Preventor standing in front of her. "Yes, soldier, what is it?"

"You're needed on level 0."

She saluted and dismissed the young man. "I should be back in a few minutes, Hilde. If any of the mechanics report back here let me know."

Hilde nodded in return, doing her best to form a smile. She knew that if she opened her mouth, her voice would barely come out as a squeak. She didn't know what piloting that gundam had done to her right shoulder, but to put it in Duo's words, 'It hurt like hell!' But she wouldn't tell anyone about it. No. She was stronger than that. If Duo couldn't be here to pilot it, she would.

__________________________________

"Heero!" Sally smiled when she saw him, but it quickly faded as she saw who was with him. She was thin and would have looked fairly pretty with her head of curls if not for the sunken, haunted look marring her face. Never the less, she stood proud and tall next to him.

Liet answered the questioning look of the older woman. "My name is Liet. And I am one the test subjects from L4. I was told you might be able to help us."

Sally sucked in a breath and clenched her fists together - a move that did not go unnoticed by Heero. Sally opened her mouth to speak but found that nothing would come out. How could she tell her? She couldn't help her - no one could. Her condition was a cancer of sorts. True there were many developments in treatment before the centuries of on and off wars began. But no cure was ever found - there wasn't much funding left for research and development outside of military causes. If not caught in the early stages…it was…fatal.

She felt some part of her die with the look in the woman's eyes. She fought back tears and quickly lowered her head. So that was it. For a few moments, she couldn't think of anything. Her mind was just a blank. Then she angrily fought back her tears. "What about the others? Can you do anything at all?"

Finally, Sally found her voice. "It depends…on how far advanced they are. It really must be caught within the first few months."

"But…there are only 150! A little over 300 are over a year…and about the same amount are near the end."

Sally felt her heart breaking. That was almost 800 children - 600 of which were terminally ill. Unconsciously, tears began falling from her eyes.

"What can we do?" Liet asked bravely, though inside she was trembling.

She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "First we need to get inside the base and free everyone. Then we have to get them to the nearest hospital. They aren't going to have enough medication or equipment to treat everyone. Some will have to be flown either to other colonies or to Earth. Lady Une can make whatever arrangements are needed."

"Hn…All transmissions and communication to and from the moon are jammed. It's going to take a return trip to notify her of the problem."

Liet nodded. "I can do it. Give me a mobile suit." She turned to Heero. "I can do it!"

He nodded.

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Heero and Sally watched from the window, as a white Taurus suit blasted into space. "She's a brave girl." Sally commented. "I just hope she makes it."

"She will." With that said, he immediately turned to one of their communication controls and plugged his own machine in. Immediately he began typing furiously. After a few moments, he stopped and flipped the open channel switch on the control board. "Quatre…"

"Heero?!" Immediately his voice returned. "Where are you?!"

"I'm on the lunar base. What's the current situation?"

"The M. S. Production facilities are exactly where we'd thought they'd be. I think we'll have a relay time of about forty minutes. I'll have Wufei send you the coordinates and a few infrared sensor diagrams. Is it enough time?"

"Doesn't matter. It's our only option at this point. I'll contact you again, just before I go." Heero then cut of the connection and disconnected his gear. He turned to Lieutenant Creig. "Go to the ammunition stock room, get me anywhere from thirty to fifty detonation devices, 5 spools of wire, and one switch. Make sure all the safety switches have been removed. Have them ready and waiting in a land cruiser in five minutes."

Creig turned to Sally for confirmation.

"Get going! You have your orders."

"Yes ma'am!"

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Hilde leaned back against the wall. She was seriously considering taking a walk toward sick bay. 'No. I can't.' She knew that in her condition, the doctor on staff or the medic wouldn't let her back out into space. She had to stay. If she was needed, she'd fight again. It was difficult - knowing the power that you held in your hands. Duo had named himself correctly. No one escapes from death. It holds all - both the innocent and wicked in its hands. The same could be true of a gundam or more preferably it's pilot. She sighed and began walking as straight as she could manage, keeping her head down to conceal her expression of pain.

Suddenly, she bumped into someone head on. She winced and inhaled sharply - her entire arm and a part of her upper back felt like it was on fire. For a moment she felt so dizzy, she thought she'd fall over. As she regained control, she mumbled an apology and tried to go around the man she'd bumped into. She frowned when his hands came up to steady her. 'I know those hands.' She gasped and looked up. "Duo!"

One thing was for sure - he didn't look happy. She sighed and leaned back against the wall. "Please don't yell at me, Duo. I wasn't planning on coming - honest! But there was no one else and…"

He held up a hand, and wordlessly plied her left arm away from her right shoulder. He gently touched it and she winced, biting her lip to keep from crying out. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw him shaking his head.

Duo took a deep breath, trying his best to stay calm. She was as stubborn and independent as he was. It was unbelievable! No matter what he did to try and keep her out of the whole messy business, she ended up right in the thick of it. In the end, he conceded. Now wasn't the time for an argument anyway and truth be told, he was just too tired. "So, did yah break my record?"

She suddenly smiled back and let out a small laugh. "No, but I have lots of time to try!" She knew that would get his dander up.

He smiled wickedly in return. "No way! The God of Death is gonna loose his reputation if you keep flyin' for me. You're not scary enough."

"Humph!" They both laughed and he gently put his arm around her.

"Come on. You need to get that looked at."

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Just outside sick bay, Duo waited for Hilde's examination to finish. He quickly turned on an open channel to the control room. "Hey, Sally? How's the progress on Heavyarms and Deathscythe?"

"You're ready to go, Duo. Heavyarms will be complete in about five minutes. Trowa's already on his way out."

"Got that. Uh…have you heard anything from Heero? 'leena's been looking for him since we came in."

"He's about to exit through the B.D.'s on level E. He's heading out to destroy the base." She answered.

"Has he talked to her yet?"

"I don't think so. She's on the observation deck where we're trying to re-establish contact. She's trying to see if she can get any information on Zechs and Noin. Plus, right now isn't a good time. We only have minutes until the next attack."

Duo cursed as he closed the connection. "Damn!" He poked his head through the door and looked at the nurse. "Tell her that I'll be right back!"

The nurse nodded affirmatively and Duo took off, running down the hall towards the nearest flight of stairs. He needed to have a little chat with 'Mr. Perfect Soldier.' Now.

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Heero walked down the corridor in a fast pace, any worry he had about Releena's whereabouts and safety put to rest at learning she was here. He opened the door to the decompression tunnel and was just about to walk through when Duo grabbed onto his arm. "Tell me you're coming back."

Heero regarded him silently and then calmly answered. "Life is a risk. Now, let me go."

He shook his head. "Uh-uh. Not until you make me a promise. You have to come back to her."

Heero's eyes darkened considerably and he stared at the cool shadows on the cold, metal floor. "I gave in once. I can't do it again."

"Why the hell not?!"

His eyes flashed and he glared at the other man. His words were low and deadly. "Duo… Don't. Push. Me." He pulled his arm back and turned around to leave. Then he stopped and without turning and continued quietly, "I can't do it. It isn't right."

"I don't care if you think it's right or wrong, pal! Don't you think it's a little late for that?! That one time may have been a slip up, but it came with consequences. I always knew you were stubborn and thickheaded, but I never took you for a coward! You're afraid to face her aren't you? Yah…cuz you know that she's better than you and you're afraid of what she makes you feel, aren't you? Or is it that you're afraid to really live?"

Heero kept his back turned. 'You're right, Duo. I _am_ a coward; I always have been. I should have ended it a long time ago, but I couldn't even accomplish that simple task,' he thought to himself. "I'm not making a promise that I can't keep just to satisfy your conscience." He replied flatly.

Duo could feel the blood rush to his face until it was beet red with anger. He grabbed the back of Heero's suit and pulled him back inside the corridor. Immediately Heero whipped around to deliver a crushing blow, but Duo moved out of the way just in time. He could tell that the perfect soldier was holding back and it only made him angrier. Duo lunged at him and they both toppled to the floor, battling for the upper hand. He fought with everything in him and when he hit Heero square-in-the-jaw, he could see the dangerous glint in his eyes.

With an angry grunt, Heero pushed Duo off of him and jumped to his feet. The clyzenodine serum still ran thick through his blood, increasing the speed of his every move. In a flash, he pulled Duo up by the collar and slammed him into the metal wall. Duo refused to cry out even though the rough blow to his head and back were close to causing a ruptured disk or a severe concussion. "Hey take it easy will, yah? My head isn't as thick as yours." He bit out painfully, gasping for breath.

"I doubt that." Heero replied. He blinked and suddenly his muscles visibly loosened. He released his hold on Duo's neck and let him slide down the wall to stand on his own two feet.

After a coughing fit, Duo returned Heero's glare. "You have got to loosen up, buddy or you're gonna end up with some serious mental damage!"

For a long time, they stood facing one another, neither saying a word. Finally, Heero spoke. "What do you want from me?"

Duo shook his head and put his hand on Heero's shoulder. "I'm your friend Heero." He shrugged nonchalantly and grinned, breaking the tension. "But since that's a new thing for you, I'll cut you some slack. Basically, that means I care about what happens to you. I don't wanna see you screw up your life more than it already is. By turning your back now, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

He continued. "So you've got issues, so you've got problems. We all do. But you don't see us running, do you?! Yah, it's hard. It's damn hard. I still see their faces - all the people that have died - all the ones that I killed. Then I see the ones of my friends and the people who took care of me. Do you know how many times I wish I were still with them? That my life shouldn't be? But then I stop and I say, wait - there's people who care for me. And if I can't live for myself, at least I can live for them. If you abandon them now, you really are less than dirt! They need you - especially that kid!"

Heero froze. Although showing no outward reaction, he was confused – terribly so. His mind quickly ran through everything Duo had just said. Living for others – the ones who care about you, the ones you're responsible for - He got that. Suddenly it hit him.

'They need you - especially that kid!'

They? Kid? He immediately whipped around and once again grabbed Duo by the collar of his shirt, fixing him with an intense stare. Guess work wouldn't be enough. This was something he needed solid confirmation of. "Duo, what kid?"

For a minute, Duo stared at his friend in shock. "You mean…you don't know?!" He finally choked out.

"No." Heero plastered him with a look – _'This better not be a joke or else…'_

Duo gulped and laughed nervously. As Heero released him, he mumbled under his breath. "Why me?" He took a deep breath and wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulder, despite the death glare directed at him. "Heero, buddy…I am going to give you some…well…interesting news." Her nervously chucked again as he ran his left hand threw his bangs. "It's good news…well…he he…I guess that depends on how you look at it, right?"

_________________________________

Sally quietly made her way to where Releena was standing, gently swaying back and forth as she rocked the baby to sleep. "Have you heard anything yet?"

Releena frowned. "No. They're still unable to re-establish the connection. I'm worried, Sally. We just left them. I don't think I could ever forgive myself if…"

"Don't worry too much. Those two make an impeccable team. And it's not as if they're defenseless. I wouldn't give up hope too easily." Sally said, smiling.

Releena hesitated before asking her next question. "Have you…have you heard anything from Heero?"

Sally nervously averted her eyes. "Um…about Heero…"

Suddenly her com light began to flash. "This is Major Po."

"Well?! What's going on down there? You're supposed to have been briefing us every ten minutes? Are all the fools down there so incompetent that they can't set up a single secure connection?!" Wufei blared.

"He really makes me nervous when he rants like that." Sally commented absently.

Releena smiled sadly. "It's difficult to be angry with him when you know the risk he's taking."

She sighed and shook her head. "I forgave him the moment after it happened." A smile crossed her features. "I finally realized what I've been doing wrong."

Releena knit her brows and she cocked her head to the side.

"I've been trying to change him. But…I kind of like him just the way he is. He's the most stubborn, pigheaded, arrogant, chauvinist I've ever met. And that's why he needs me because I won't take it." She chuckled as tears seeped out of the corners of her eyes. "He's good for me too. In his own odd way of reminding me of my 'place,' it helps me to remember that it's okay to let someone take care of me for once. It's okay to not be the unbreakable Major Po. I can just be Sally and he won't be disappointed or think I'm weak because he knows better. He knows me."

"Woman, are you there?!" The irritated voice blared out again over her intercom.

At the sound of his typical greeting, she laughed - never so glad to here it as now. "Yes, Wufei. I'm here."

"Is everything in place?"

"Yes. The explosives are ready to go. We're waiting on Heero. It shouldn't take him more than a half an hour." At the mention of Heero's name, Releena's head had snapped to attention and Sally winced - the poor girl. "If he's not back by then…fire at will."

For a moment Wufei said nothing and Releena's wide, shocked eyes bore into her. The air was heavy and thick. Finally he let out a grunt and she heard him terminate the connection. Suddenly, she felt Releena grab hold of the lapel of her uniform.

"Sally, what is going on?!"

She sighed and looked out the glass window in front of her. She pointed to a large building off a far distance from where they were. "That is a MS production facility…and is where the suits for Barkusonete's special forces are kept. There are three times as many as there are suicide units to pilot them. While they attack the gundams, it will give Heero a chance to sneak in and blow up the remainder of them. In space, mobile suits use more fuel for propulsion. So they'll need to refuel after about 60 minutes in battle. A thirty-minute time limit gives Heero the chance to make it back safely. After that…"

Releena stood frozen in shock for what seemed like an eternity. She clutched her fist until it was white, her nails digging into her palm. She should have been used to it by now. After all, death seemed to stare him in the face every time he fought and still he always managed to pull out unscathed. Why not this time as well? Because… She glanced down at the tiny form sleeping peacefully in her arms, clutching her shirt in his tiny hands - so innocent, so pure - someone who had never had to kill, never seen war or death or any of the horrors life could bring with it. He had to know - he couldn't leave again without knowing - he had done this. He didn't destroy everything he touched - this little boy, his little boy, was good and was a part of him. She turned to Sally, her eyes full of determination. "Where?" It was the only words she could manage to speak.

"He's be leaving through the back bay doors on level E. You'd better hurry."

She didn't need to be told twice and broke into a full run.

_________________________________

Duo watched Heero's expressionless face and gulped nervously. He was staring right at him…well no…that wasn't quite correct. It was more like he was seeing right through him. "Hey, uh…Heero, buddy? You okay?" He would have waved a hand in front of his face, but feared the consequences. He already had enough bruises for one day, thank you.

Suddenly his friend blinked, furrowed his brows and then abruptly turned around. He stooped down to pick up his gear and hit the release to open the doors leading to one of the store rooms just outside of the hanger.

"Hey!" Duo finally cried out.

Heero stopped when he was halfway through the doorway, but remained silent.

"Just where do you think you're going?!" Duo cried.

"I have a job to complete." That said, he walked into the room and the doors closed behind him.

Duo's face turned red with anger and he narrowed his eyes. He spun on his heels and quickly punched the wall. He grunted and rubbed his soar knuckles. He took a deep breath and let some of his anger escape. He tilted back his head to look up at the ceiling and shook it. "You should be glad I'm so understanding, pal!" He really couldn't blame him…that much. After all, it wasn't everyday someone blurted out to you that, 'Congratulations, you're now a father!' And knowing Heero…well…he probably took it a little harder than most. Sheez! He couldn't imagine if it was him on the receiving end! He sighed. "I really need a drink."

He heard the main doors leading to the hall open and as soon as he turned around, Releena assaulted him. "Where is he?!"

Duo shook his head. "Sorry, 'leena, but…"

"No!" She made a dash toward the rear doors, but Duo caught her arm.

"I heard the bay doors open. That means that the room is exposed to the atmosphere. You can't go in now."

Tears streamed down her face and her body shook as she tried to hold back sobs. "But…I have to…I have to tell him!"

"He knows." Duo said quietly. She gazed up at him questioningly and he sighed. "I told him."

She shut her eyes tight and Duo pulled her into a careful hug, trying to console her. She opened her eyes briefly - her vision blurred with tears. She gasped and quickly moved from his embrace, pushing past him to do to the large window. He was there! Just about ready to strap himself into the land cruiser. Desperately, she pounded on the glass, not caring that he couldn't hear her in the weightless atmosphere of the moon. "Heero!!" She cried with everything in her. He had to hear her - he just had to! When he didn't turn around, she cried out to him again.

_________________________________

Heero was running over the final checks on the land cruiser. All the equipment was in place. It was now or never. He glanced at his wrist-watch/com - thirty minutes. He couldn't think about what had happened earlier - to do so meant failure. He would not fail. What Duo had said simply didn't exist. The conversation never took place. Suddenly, a shiver went down his spine - a very rare occurrence. Something was telling him to turn around - begging and pleading that he do so. He knew it was against his better judgement to do so, but he always made it a point to follow his gut feeling, and he slowly turned.

There she stood - a single tear made it's way down her cheek. Her hair hung beautifully framing her face. He took in her every feature. Eventually his eyes fell down to see the bundle she held in her arms, wrapped in a blue blanket. Time seemed to stop and his lungs refused to breathe. That split second seemed like an eternity. He stared for a few more minutes before closing his eyes and turning around. When he opened them, there was nothing but a raw determination - to survive…to win…and to return. As quickly as was possible, he swooped down and strapped himself down in the solitary seat of the vehicle and put it in gear.

Still standing in the corridor, Releena placed her hand on the glass. 'Come back alive, Heero. Just stay alive.'

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To be continued in chapter 8…

Lordy! I really hadn't expected this chapter to be as long as it turned out to be! ARG! And still another chapter and the epilogue to go! So what do y'all think? Was it too long, too wordy, too mushy - what? PLEASE!!! I need feedback! College life is quickly squashing out all of my free time! I need you all to help keep me motivated!!


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